The diagrams below show the life cycle of the silkworm and the stages in the production of silk

cloth.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where
relevant.

The two infographics illustrate the steps involved in processing silk cloth. Overall, the production requires
two separate processes: one is natural and the other industrial.

The first diagram shows the four stages involved in the life of a silk worm and how they produce raw silk
threads. Firstly, eggs are laid on mulberry leaves. After 10 days, these eggs hatch into silkworm larvae and
begin to feed on leaves. This stage lasts for up to six weeks until they start threading a cocoon around
themselves. After roughly three weeks, adult moths emerge and the lifecycle restarts.

Silk cloth production begins at the cocoon stage. Unhatched cocoons are selected and then boiled in water,
where the threads are unwound. These threads measure anywhere between 300 meters up to almost a
kilometer. In the last part of the process, they are twisted together and then interlaced, creating the final silk
thread material. Dye can be applied to threads either before weaving or after to create different patterns.