| If you're wondering where most of your silk | | | | between one and two kilometers long. The adult |
| comes from and the specialties of these | | | | moths that are normally used for production are |
| countries, we're going to go inside the silk industry | | | | too fat to fly. The moths that can fly don't |
| itself in Thailand, Japan, and China to see just | | | | produce enough silk to be worth cultivating. |
| what it is that they're making and how. | | | | The larvae farmed by the silk makers of China |
| Silk production in Thailand is very specialized. The | | | | and Japan, unlike the ones in Thailand that are |
| Thai silk moth is most suited to tropical conditions. | | | | very sturdy, are very fragile and need great care. |
| This moth is what is called polyvoltine, meaning it | | | | They are selectively bred and their purpose is |
| can produce at least ten batches of eggs each | | | | strictly to get maximum output with a minimum |
| year. They hand reel the silk from the Thai moth | | | | amount of work. In Thailand they get about 26 |
| from green cocoons. These cocoons still contain | | | | kg of raw silk per hectare. The production in |
| the live pupae. The pupae from these cocoons | | | | Korea is about 80 kg per hectare and in China it is |
| are not killed before being reeled because that | | | | 125 kg per hectare. |
| would make reeling very difficult. What they do is | | | | In 1995 a major silk producing factory was set up |
| they place the green cocoons in hot, almost boiling | | | | in Hanzhou, China. This factory has the capacity |
| water. This process loosens the end of the | | | | to make over one million silk blouses every year. |
| thread. They only have about 10 days to finish | | | | Yes, silk production in these countries is big |
| this process before the moths come out and | | | | business and makes up a large part of their |
| ruins the cocoon. Many times, the workers run | | | | economy. |
| out of time. This limits the scale of the industry | | | | While silk production in these countries may be big |
| and partially explains why silk is so expensive. The | | | | business, there are those who, because of the |
| most experience workers usually only produce | | | | nature of the industry, would just as soon see it |
| about 300 kg per day. | | | | die a quick death. The reason is simple. In the |
| Silk production in China and Japan is a little | | | | making of these silk products, living creatures die. |
| different. The moth that is mostly used in these | | | | While this isn't anything new (just take a look at |
| countries is monovoltine or bivoltine. These moths | | | | the fur coat industry) the activists against this |
| produce one or sometimes two batches of eggs | | | | industry are probably one of the most vocal, |
| each year. These are then put into a suspended | | | | staging rallies and marching in protests. So far, |
| environment so that they can induce hatching at a | | | | however, their efforts have not even slowed |
| more convenient time. These cocoons are very | | | | down one of the largest industries in that part of |
| large so they are better suited for machine | | | | the world. But the fight continues. |
| reeling. They produce a filament that is usually | | | | |