Silkworms eat mulberry leaves; lots of them! But getting leaves in the late fall and winter months is nearly impossible, as the trees are deciduous. If you are raising silkworms in the winter, there is an alternative food. With every order of silkworm eggs you will be sent a half-pound of dry silkworm chow.
What can you feed silkworms other than mulberry leaves?
Silkworm Feeding
They will not eat wet, bruised or wilted leaves. They can survive on lettuce or beetroot leaves, but a diet of this alone will mean that they don't produce a good quality silk.
What is the best food for silkworms?
Silkworms are oligophagous insects, and mulberry leaves are their best food source. All nutrients and water silkworms need come from mulberry leaves, which is a result of the long-term co-evolution and natural selection between silkworms and mulberry trees7,8.
