If you want to begin silkworm farming, you need either the silk eggs or caterpillars. Also, the latter is a staple feeder larva to many reptiles and amphibians.
Silkworm eggs on sale
If you intend to begin your silkmoth farming for profit (sell their silk or larvae to people with pets) or for your use in feeding your pet and some farm animals, or even their cocoons to silk spinners, you can begin with either eggs or live grub to start your colony.
The eggs, which are about 1 mm in size, are more affordable, and you can refrigerate them until you are ready with your keeping place or nursery, they are available throughout the year, among other benefits.
However, to properly handle and hatch them, it needs some experience, unlike the live grubs, which are much easier to care for as you prepare for the next time they will lay eggs. By the time they begin laying eggs, you will have known the ins and outs of keeping silkmoths
If you need them, there are many places to buy these eggs. Try if they are available in your local pet store, especially those that sell reptile and amphibian feeder insects too. If not, other places to check include:
1. Coastal Silkworms
The Coastal Silkworm is one place to get from small quantities to bulk silkmoth eggs all around the year at a great price offer with free standard shipment.
They have several types of silkmoth like the zebra, zebra yellow, black, green, or pink-colored eggs all around the year in counts of 250, 500, 1,000, 2,000, 3,000, 5,000, 1,0000, 25,000 at very competitive prices. For packs of 1000 counts and below, they are glue while if you order over 2000 counts, they are packed loosely in a study petri dish.
Each shipment comes with all labels to guide you on how to properly hatch or store them to ensure most of them hatch.
Finally, they also have live grubs and their chow, hornworms, roaches, among other reptile supplies.
2. Mulberry Farms
The Mulberry Farms is one place you can get silkmoth eggs as well as other things, including silkworm chow, live silkworms as well as other feeder insects including mealworms, superworms, butterworms, crickets, hornworms, waxworms, roaches, and so on.
Why buy from Mulberry Farm?
- For orders of 200, 500, 1000, your eggs come in a smallholding petri dish and a larger one for hatching them. However, for bulk orders of 2000 to 20000, you get them in only one petri dish
- They have comprehensive care and raising guide on their website to help you make the best out of the eggs once they hatch.
- They do not come from Chine (non-Chinese sourced)
3. Silkworm Store UK
This Store in the United Kingdom have eggs from hardy silkworms in counts of 250, 1000, 5000, 10000, and 20,000 at competitive prices together with a guide for hatching or incubating them.
If you don’t plan to hatch them immediately, they have a chilled delivery where the eggs are kept cold during the shipment, and you can refrigerate them immediately after receiving them.
Finally, they also have live silkmoth grubs, mulberry chows (powdered and pre-made) as well as other feeder insects.
4. The Peaceful Silkworms (Australia)
This online vendor in Australia with zebra and plain silkmoth eggs (not strips) in packs of 50, 100, and 200 counts together with a 250g chow and teachers packs.
Other places to buy them include online include
- Niles Biological, Inc. (Sacramento, California)
- Everything Silkworms – They have Zebra, White Seductress, and tiger silkmoth eggs in counts of 50, 100, 250, 500.
- Oregon Silkworms
- In Canada, you will get them at Silkworms.ca
Live silkworms
Live silkworms are a versatile pet feeder. You can feed them to your reptiles, including your bearded dragons, snakes, turtle, and other lizards, to your amphibians like frogs, toads, salamanders, to your birds as well as fish.
They are nutritious and a good source of protein, calcium, iron, sodium, magnesium, vitamin B1, B2, B3 while their fat content is low.
You can either buy live ones or raise your own. We have a comprehensive discussion on how to raise silkworms that will introduce you to what they eat, how to keep them, and much more.
The standard varieties in the market are the White Seductress, mask face, zebra, tiger, among others. You can decide to order a specific type you like.
Where to buy them?
Besides some of the above locations that have silkmoth eggs, other places you can buy them for breading or as an insect feeder include:
1. DBDPet (sales on Amazon.com)
The DBDPet has an option where you can buy 15-20 counts or a cup of 25 to feed your bearded dragons, geckos, monitors, Leachie geckos, tegus, among other pets. You can also breed them.
While you are unlikely to get silkworms at PetSmart, try these places as they often have them:
- Rainbow Worms
- Josh’s Frog
- Dubia Roaches
- The Fruit Fly Shop
Once you have them, ensure you know how to properly keep them to stay longer as well as the right food you will be giving them.