Bombyx mori Chinese medicine, silkworm is the source of the "stiff silkworm", which is made from dried fourth- or fifth-instar larvae which have died of "white muscardine disease", the "Beauveria bassiana" fungal infection mentioned above. It is believed to dispel flatulence, dissolve phlegm, and relieve spasms. Bombyx mori The silkworm is the larva or caterpillar of the domestic silkmoth, Bombyx mori (Latin: "silkworm of the mulberry tree"). It is an economically important insect, being a primary producer of silk. A silkworm's preferred food is white mulberry leaves, though they may eat other mulberry species and even osage orange. Domestic silkmoths are closely
Bombyx mori and the wild "B. mandarina" can still breed and sometimes produce hybrids. Domestic silkmoths are very different from most members in the genus "Bombyx"; not only have they lost the ability to fly, but their color pigments are also lost. Mulberry silkworms can be categorized into three different but connected groups or types. The major groups of silkworms fall under the univoltine ("uni-"=one, "voltine"=brood frequency) and bivoltine categories. The univoltine breed is generally linked with the geographical area within greater Europe. The eggs of this type hibernate during winter due to the cold climate, and cross-fertilize only by spring, generating