Silkworm Breeding House

an installation for raising larvae of the silkworm moth. The structure is located near plantings of mulberry, on a dry site removed from roads, dumping grounds, and manure storage areas. The walls are of brick or pisé, the floors are of packed earth, and the ceilings are heated. The premises are equipped with heating units (radiators, furnaces, and the like) and forced-air ventilation. Where egg incubation is not centralized, a section of the installation is partitioned off by the main wall and used for egg incubation. Provision is also made for feed storage. Racks or shelves are erected in tiers of four or five. The temperature is kept at 24°–28°C, and the relative humidity at 65–75 percent. One or two rows of tall trees are planted around the installation for shade.

Breeding houses are built in two sizes to accommodate silkworms hatched from 300 or 750 g of eggs (3 cu m per g of eggs). On some farms the larvae are segregated according to age. Younger silkworms are reared in heated premises; older ones may be raised in less substantial structures, including those with collapsible frameworks covered with a plastic film.