For this school assignment (October 2008), I had to write about silk worms and send it to a friend my age. I am studying world history and cultures this year. I had just learned about Japan. I sent the essay to my cousin Ean.

Most people think bugs are useless, but in Japan silk worms make the threads needed to make silk. Although the silk worm is essential, it has become completely helpless as an insect and is entirely dependent on humans to stay alive.

Silk worm caterpillars eat tremendous amounts of mulberry leaves before each molt. However, silk worms have lost their ability to walk, so humans supply the caterpillars with food on feeding tables. Workers place mulberry leaves on top of the caterpillars, so the caterpillars can eat.

When the caterpillars are ready to change into moths after their fifth molt, humans move them into a cocoon frame. The frame is made of cardboard and wood. Each caterpillar occupies one little box. If the humans did not move the caterpillars to the cocoon frames, the caterpillars would not be able to get off the feeding tables or find a place to build a cocoon.

After three weeks in the cocoon, a moth emerges. Their wings are very small for their size. In fact, humans have encouraged “small wings” by only allowing weak-winged moths to reproduce. This means that the humans must bring male and females moths together so they can reproduce.

If humans stop taking care of the sink worms, the species would become extinct.