1. When the eggs are hatched the larvae come out, these are kept in chandrikalu.
2. Chandrikalu are specialized cane structures where mulberry leaves are also kept for larval feeding.
3. This larva forms the cocoon. These are used for obtaining silk fibres.
4. After 2 – 3 days cocoons formation, farmers remove them from chandrikalu and treat them under steam for 10 to 15 minutes.
5. The process of killing larvae inside the cocoon by putting them in steam is called stifling.
Importance of stifling:
The larvae in the cocoons have to be killed by stifling otherwise larvae inside cocoons will come out by breaking open the cocoons.
1. Hence, we can not derive continuous thread of silk This will reduce the quality of silk fibre.
2. Stiffled cocoons can be stored for a long time and can be sold in market.
