How is silk harvested from silkworms?

Then in 552 AD, two monks smuggled silkworm eggs to Constantinople, and silk production spread worldwide. Now that the secret's out, we can safely talk about how silkworms and humans make luxurious silk cloth. Learn more on this Moment of Science. read more

To harvest silk commercially, cocoons are first steamed to kill the pupae inside. This is because the silkworm would break the silk if it began to emerge as a moth. Next the cocoon is dunked in hot water, rather than tea, to dissolve the sticky coating that binds the silk. read more