"Bai Ji", a direct Chinese translation. The character "Ji" refers to a beautiful, poised lady who is a bit of a socialite and often demurely flirtatious.  She is a high society courtesan.  She has beautiful, smooth skin, is highly educated and well trained in music, poetry and the fine arts.  Her beauty is unsurpassed by any of her peers. She spins lustrous white and sometimes gold silk, or even salmon colored; a treasured rarity amongst the children’s collection of cocoons. The “Bai Ji” silkworm is just all that: beautiful, fair, and pristine. There is not a mark on her. She reminds me rather of a beautiful princess, a symbol of pureness.  The White Seductress has lost its place amongst the domestic mask face silkworms. She is the predecessor used for the exotic colors.

“Hu Tsan”-a direct Chinese translation.  The Tiger Silk obtained its name from its resemblance to a tiger's head. His pseudo head is tri-colored, with black stripes and brown markings, much like a real tiger's head. He is fierce and ferocious, with his impenetrable blackness. The blackness gets more and more intense as he grows. His skin is like black velvet, soft and smooth.  A militia of Tiger Silks is quite a sight to behold! The Tiger Silk spins gold cocoon. Tiger silks are a bit smaller than the regular white ones and lay smaller eggs as well.

These are your everyday, regular, domestic Bombyx Mori . They wear what I call a mask on the pseudo head. The purpose of that bump, which often times gets mistaken for the silkworm’s head, is to deter predators. It bears much resemblance to the jester’s mask in the famed Peking Opera. That which the jester wears in white, this silkworm wears it in brown.  He also spins luscious white or gold silk.

Named for it's banded segments, these are the most popular silkworms available in the United States.  They are hardy because of their bivoltine qualities and possess a sex linked gene that gives banding to the females only. This strain was developed in Europe and are a cross breed between a Japanese original and a cross of B. Mori that were specifically bred for high tolerance to poor rearing conditions.  These silkworms are perfect for breeding purposes with their discriminating sex markings and their high egg productivity.  Depending on their parent generation, cocoons may or may not be colored and may be oval or peanut shaped. These are the largest silkworms in my collection. 

Ah! Finally, a silk quality silkworm for the silk ravelers. COMING SOON!!