Lecture no.

33
Model rearing house chawki rearing- late age rearing- spinning- mountages- harvesting
Model Rearing house
A model rearing house is the one which provides congenial atmosphere for the growth of
silkworms at minimum operational cost. Rearing houses in India are preferably constructed in
East West direction while in temperate regions they are in North South direction. Rearing houses
are designed based on
(i) Brushing capacity
(ii) Method of rearing - 2 sq. ft / dfl leaf rearing
3 sq.ft / dfl shoot rearing
Features of the rearing house

Prerequisite for indoor rearing is a place isolated for complete disinfection to be carried
out and where optimum environmental conditions can be artificially maintained for
uniform growth of the silkworms.

The size of the house depends on number of larvae that can be reared and method of
rearing

Rearing houses may be brickwalled, cement plastered or mud-walled structures.

The material used for roofing should be a nonconductor of heat.

RCC roofs are suitable for temperate countries and thatched roofs and country tiled roofs
are ideal for tropical countries.

Should have windows and ventilators for free circulation of air.

The width of the room must be small in proportion to its length or frontage , and must not
in any case exceed 15 or 18 ft. A broad room leads to inequalities of temperature, as the
air does not circulate across it.

Verandahs could be 4ft to 6 ft. broad and should be provided at least on that side which is
most exposed.

A rearing house with a spacing of 18x 30 with 6 verandah all round can accommodate
rearing of about 400- 500 DFLs at a time.

It is a rat proof building provided with a projecting ledge all round at plinth wall . The
projection should be atleast 0.35m to 0.40m to effectively prevent the rats The building is

provided with a verandah of 2.45m all round and also with doors and windows to ensure
good ventilation and light.

Height of the ceiling should be atleast 3.65m with good ventilators.

Each rearing house should have a main rearing room, ante room and leaf preservation
room.

Rearing houses are equipped with facilities to provide optimum temperature and relative
humidity.

Raising evergreen trees like Singapore Cherry, Pongamia, Jack fruit or Neem to
maintain better rearing environment.

Rearing houses are designed with smooth walls white coated with lime

It should have facility for making it air tight for effective disinfection with ventilation for
aeration and light and netted on all windows.

Ante room: it acts as a barrier for entry of Uzi fly. The doors are fitted with the net and
self closing mechanism.

Chawki rearing house: A separate chawki rearing house is a must for 2 plot rearing
system.

For one acre garden, Chawki room of 14x10 and 9-10 height is ideal; it should be away
from main rearing unit with less access to trespassers.

In some rearing houses, roof and side walls are made of plastic sheets or tarpaulins which
prevent direct drought of cold air from outside entering the sheds. This type of shed is
usually used for shoot rearing or floor rearing.

In many places, there are no separate rearing houses as such, but rearing is done in the
dwelling houses themselves. In Jammu and Kashmir, where mostly floor rearing is
practiced rearing is done in the rearers own houses.

Area required for one acre of mulberry : Chawki rearing house - 150 sq.ft
Late age worm rearing -1000 sq.ft

The most important principles to be remembered are :

1. Avoid dampness, stagnation of air, direct and too strong draught of air and exposure to
bright sunlight and radiation
2. ensure an equable temperature and humidity and good ventilation

Diagrams

Chawki rearing
Rearing of young age silkworms upto II moult is called Chawki rearing which usually
lasts upto 10 days.
Characters of chawki larvae

Withstand high temp, high humidity and bad ventilation.

Weak against pesticides and chemicals

Disease resistance is less

Ingestion is less ; but digestion is more

High growth rate : By consuming 6 % of leaf, the larvae grow 300 times body size; 400
times body weight, 500 times increase in silk gland weight.

Good nutrition is essential

Body water content is very low in the newborn larvae but increases rapidly till second
instar. So it requires high water content in mulberry leaves and humid conditions in
rearing house.

Chawki rearing methods

Chawki rearing methods are:
1. Stand rearing
2. Box rearing
3. Chamber rearing
Stand rearing
Chawki larvae are reared in plastic trays of 3x 4 size. The trays are arranged in rearing
stand. Paraffin paper is used us seat and cover. This method acquires more floor area.
Isolation chamber rearing
Chambers are made of plywood sheets with double doors fitted with heaters humidifiers;
temp & RH are maintained by thermostat and humidistat. Rearing is done in the chamber by
piling up the trays on chawki stand. This is useful for large scale brushing of 500-1000 dfl at a
time.
Box rearing
Plastic trays are used for rearing. The trays are kept one over other as a box. This method
helps to maintain temperature and humidity. The trays are arranged in crisscross pattern to allow
aeration. Thirty minutes before feeding and during moult, paraffin papers are removed.

Rearing house
A separate rearing house with adequate spacing, sunlight and aeration is essential. This
will enable effective disinfection. The rearing house should be constructed far away from
dwelling houses.
Incubation of eggs:

Provide ideal environmental conditions with a temperature of 25C and 80% humidity

Provide paraffin papers and wet foam pads to maintain the environmental conditions

When the eggs come to head pigmentation stage (48hrs before hatching), they should be
kept in dark condition by wrapping them in a black paper or by keeping them in a box
(black boxing). On the expected day of hatching, eggs are exposed to light, early in the
morning to ensure uniform hatching. This facilitates uniform development of embryo,
hatching.

Most of the eggs (90 to 95%) hatch in about 2 to 3 hrs.

Rearing of late age worms is by:

a. Tray or shelf method of rearing
b. Floor rearing
c. Shoot rearing
a. Tray or Shelf rearing
In this method, late age silkworms are reared in bamboo trays, which are arranged one
over the other in tiers on rearing stands. Generally, the rearing stands are arranged in two rows
on either side of the rearing hall, with adequate working space in the center, for feeding and bed
cleaning. Each rearing stand can accommodate 10 to 12 trays. Round bamboo trays of 1.2 to 1.4
m (4 to 4.5 feet) diameter are most commonly used for rearing late age silkworms.
b. Floor rearing
This method is practiced in Jammu and Kashmir.
c.Shoot rearing technology

Larvae are reared in shelves arranged in 2-3 tiers with a gap 2 feet in between. The racks
can be constructed using wood/Bamboo/steel. Netting can be done with Nylon mesh, ropes
covered with old news papers.

Entire shoots are harvested and fed to the silkworms. Shoots are arranged alternately to
provide uniform spacing and aeration.

It is possible to keep more worms per unit area compared to tray rearing method.

Bed cleaning is to the minimum. After two to three feeds, the bed is cleaned by passing
ropes and removing the old branches and litter.

Advantages

Better keeping quality of leaf during storing and in the rearing bed

Handling of the silkworm is minimized and as such spread of disease by contamination is

eliminated.

Bed cleaning is to the minimum

Worms and leaves do not come into contact with litter and chances of secondary
contamination is less.

Better aeration is ensured.

Effective rate of rearing (ERR) and cocoon characters are improved.

Leaf saving is up to 20%

Labour saving is up to 70%

Disadvantages

Requirement of floor area is more

Planting materials are not available.

Separate rearing house is necessary.

Rearing house

There should be separate rearing house for late age worms

The height of the building is to be about 12 feet.

Each rearing house should have an independent rearing hall with a storage room and an ante
room.

Leaf quality

Late age worms require mature leaves with less moisture content.

Medium coarse and coarse leaf but nutritious leaf

50-60 day old leaf

Preserve the leaves in leaf chamber covering with gunny cloth.

Environmental conditions

Temperature: 24-26oC; RH: 70-75 % ; Good aeration is required

Feeding:
Shoot requirement CB 1200 kg / 100 dfl
Bivoltines 1400 kg / 100 dfl
Moulting care

Silkworm takes 4 to 4.5 days in IV age to settle for moult and nearly 30-36 hours in IV
moult.

Worms require dry conditions during moulting. Keep the rearing beds thin and apply lime
powder @ 50g/m2

Stop feeding when 90-95% of worms settle for moult.

When 5% of worms mature, apply sampoorna @ 20 ml in 4l of water over feed. It will

ensure uniform maturity.

At the end of 6th day of final instar, larvae reduce leaf consumption, release wet faecal
matter, shrink in size with the body becomes translucent and start crawling with raised head

On seeing the above indications of larvae, stop feeding as the larvae are ready for spinning.

Mounting and harvesting

When 40% worms are mature, collect the ripe worms for mounting on to mountages
Mounting

The act of providing a suitable site for mature larvae to spin cocoons is known as mounting.

All the gaps in the rearing bed should be filled one day before of spinning to avoid cocoon
formation in the rearing bed (patch feeding)

50 cleaned disinfected mountages (6x4) or 35 rotary mountages are required to mount 100
dfls.

Mountages should be kept in verandah under shade.

Mounting of worms should not be delayed as the ripened worms will waste silk. For early
and uniform spinning, apply Sampoorna, a plant based steroid with anti juvenile properties
in silkworm. Apply Sampoorna @ 20 ml (dissolved in 4 litres of water) per 100 dfls over the
leaves for early and uniform spinning of cocoons.

Different mountages
1.Bamboo mountage

2.Bottle brush mountage

3.Plastic collapsible mountage/Netrike / self mountage
4.Rotary mountage
5.Centipede mountage
6.Coconut leaf mountage
Rotary mountage
Flexible mountage made of wooden frames fitted with ten collapsible card board frames.
Each frame has 12 rows of 13 squares (Total space 10 X 13X 12 = 1560 squares).
Advantages

Each worm is given enough space with support on all four sides.

Wastage of silk as floss is minimized.

Uniform spinning of cocoons.

Double cocoon formation is avoided

Disadvantages

High cost

Requires skill to use

2.Self mountages/Netrike/ Plastic collapsible

This is widely used by farmers, because it is easy to use

No need for picking of mature worms

It is collapsible and it can be folded after use.

Removal of cocoons is also easier.

3. Chandrike

Bamboo mat -1.8 x 1.2 m

Bamboo tape (4-5cm) in a spiral manner

1000 worms/ mountage. For 100 dfls, about 30 to 40 chandrikes are required

Advantages

Made from cheap, locally available material

Easy to handle

Easy to mount and harvest

Disadvantages

Expensive

Damage by rodents, ants and during handling

Require larger area for mounting and storing

Not suited to indoor spinning

Outdoor spinning- exposure to natural enemies and pathogens

Harvesting and cleaning consume more time

Occurrence of stained and double cocoons are more

Harvesting

Harvest the cocoons on 5th or 6th day after spinning for cross breeds and for bivoltines
harvest it after 7th day of spinning.

Remove the flimsy/stained/double cocoons before harvesting the good cocoons.

Transport the cocoons in loose gunny bags during cooler house of the day.
The early harvesting of cocoon should be strictly avoided. In the course of time the pupal

skin hardens and turns dark brown and it is at this stage that cocoon can be harvested. Harvesting
must not be delayed beyond the period mentioned above
Cocoons are normally harvested by hand. After harvesting the cocoons are sorted: good,
defective, double, pierced, strained etc., cocoons. The good cocoons are cleaned by removing
any faecal matter found on the surface and marketed at once.