The Best Silk Comforters Are Made by A Critter Called Bombyx Mori

Bombyx Mori is the Latin name meaning “silkworm of the mulberry tree.” These domesticated silk moths feed solely on the leaves of the mulberry tree and produce the most pure silk fibers of lengths between 500 and 1000 meters. Mulberry silk fabric and silk floss (filling for comforters) is the best silk, prized for its strength, durability, flexibility, softness, and smooth hand.

Bombyx Mori are raised through a process called sericulture. They are very picky eaters, refusing all food except the mulberry leaf. After about a month of being fed every few hours, the caterpillars weigh 10,000 times their original weight. They are also very finicky about spinning their cocoons. They cannot be forced. It’s a natural process that takes place only when the timing, temperature, and food are all exactly right.

Once the cocoons are formed, the end of the fiber is found by a brushing technique, and then reeled off for making fabrics. Silk floss, the insulation material used in silk comforters, is made by soaking in water and then hand stretching the cocoons into sheets that are layered 1 on top of the other until a nice fluffy batting is formed.