Silk’s unique properties make it valued not only for prestigious décor and clothing but also for practical applications such as the manufacture of parachutes and surgical sutures. Today, silk is produced worldwide, but the nature of its production is fascinating and, for a very long time, was one of the world’s best kept secrets.

The early history of silk

The production of silk was once the sole property of China, verifiably originating there at least 3,000 years ago although isolated archaeological evidence suggests that the practice of sericulture –silk manufacture- may have been around for up to 7,000 years. China’s unique claim to early silk production is attributable to a single animal species; the Bombyx mandarina or ‘Wild Silkmoth’. Believed to be unique to China, the habitat of this blind and flightless moth whose only purpose seemed to be the reproduction of its species was the white mulberry tree.

The Wild Silkmoth would lay hundreds of eggs on the tree which would hatch into larvae; the creatures we know as silkworms. Thriving on their preferred diet of white mulberry leaves, the larvae would spin themselves cocoons in preparation for their metamorphosis into moths. The discovery that these cocoons could be ‘unspun’ into a fine thread is credited to the mythical Chinese princess Xi Ling Shi. However this discovery came to be made, the Chines quickly realised that the silken fibres could be woven into a strong, absorbent, lustrous and high quality material, and began the process of domesticating the Wild Silkmoth in order to advance their ability to produce silk.

Initially worn by the Emporer of only, silk gained popularity with China’s elite classes and later became used for industrial purposes such as the manufacture of high quality paper, fishing lines and bowstrings. This valuable commodity soon became sought after by other countries and ultimately China’s dominance of silk production was lost as sericulture began to spread across the world.

Modern silk production

Today, many countries including Japan, Thailand, India and Brazil manufacture high quality silks using the same basic process of sericulture. Carefully incubated at an optimum temperature, silkworm larvae are fed on a diet of mulberry leaves and rapidly increase in size until they have stored sufficient energy to begin cocoon production. A full cocoon, which resembles a white cotton-wool ball, takes about three days for the individual larva to produce.

After being kept in warm, dry storage for around eight or nine days the cocoons are immersed in hot water, killing the larvae within and loosening the silken thread of the cocoon for unwinding. Each cocoon produces a single fine silk ‘filament’ of up to a kilometre in length, and up to eight of these filaments may be wound together to produce a single silken thread. It is these threads that are woven together to produce the various fine silks such as chiffon, crepe de chine, Shantung and Jacquard that are used in the highest-quality clothes and soft furnishings.

In the last three decades the worldwide silk production has increased by almost 100% and, thanks to a concerted reorganisation and rationalisation of its own sericulture industry, China has once again regained its status as the world’s largest silk producer.

Inspirations Wholesale is a supplier of florist products and furniture including Vancouver petite oak furniture

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The lungs work in partnership with the trachea and the bronchia in order to bring oxygen into the bloodstream.

The oxygen rich air we breathe travels to the bronchi and the process of diffusion allows oxygen to pass to the pulmonary capillary.

There are occasions when we may have to hold our breath for one reason or another. We might do this intentionally or by accident. When we come into situations like this, there is a change in the chemical reaction that normally occurs when breathing. The process of anaerobic respiration takes over.

Quite simply put, this is respiration without oxygen. When there is an absence of oxygen in our immediate surroundings, i.e. underwater for example, electron aceptors are used other than oxygen. Lots of lactates are subsequently produced in the blood and an increase in acidity in the blood cells occurs.

Professional divers have mastered the art of slowing down their heart rates to further enhance the natural slowing that occurs by default. When we hold our breath under water, we also produce abdominal contractions which act to push more blood to the heart as more CO2 is created in the blood.

There are occasions when the arterial blood saturation content drops below 30%. This happens due to the elevated C02 content meaning that more oxygen is released from the blood. This is known as the Bohr Effect and has caused many divers to experience blackouts.

Due to our chemical and physiological makeup, we humans can generally hold our breath on average for around 2 – 3 minutes although there have been records broken where this has been dramatically prolonged.

Peter Colat proved this by breaking the world record in February 2010. He held his breath whilst under water for a total of 19 minutes and 21 seconds!

This article was written by Cancer Research UK – pushing forwards helping to fight the battle against lung cancer.

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1. Zero Gravity – Contrary to what you might think no where in the universe is there zero gravity. There are gravitational forces at work everywhere. Although in some places the force is very slight so things can appear to be weightless but even there gravity still has some effect on things.
2. Humans only use 5% of their brains – God things this one isn’t true! For the last century the media has push this little untruth around. In fact MRI imaging clearly shows humans use most of their cerebral cortex, even while catching some sleep. So just think next time you play that cheesy puzzle you got for a corporate gift you could be exercising a large percent of your brain.
3. Lighting never strikes the same place twice – Logic can clear this one up for us but we can also look at some examples that can’t be refuted. One such example is the Empire State Building, it gets struck by lighting about 25 times per year! Next time you’re under your lucky personalized umbrella in a thunderstorm try to minimize your risk but getting inside or to safe ground quickly.
4. Yawning is “contagious” – Wow, if this was true we would all be yawing all the time. Think about it, if I yawned then you would yawn and then I would yawn because you are yawing. What a mess that would be!
5. Water drains backwards in the Southern Hemisphere – This is one of those kids’ fables we are fascinated with. Water does not actually flow in the opposite directions in different hemispheres. For that too happen the earth’s rotation would have to be so strong that it would affect water flow. The earth’s rotation is not that strong. This can be show by changing the structure of a sink or toilet and you’ll see it can be made to swirl both ways. You can also try this test at home using your favorite custom drinkware. When pouring water into the cup see if it will swirl clockwise and then try if you can get it to go counterclockwise.

Well I hope that clears up a good bit of false information. There are many more myths out there to be uncovered. And I’m sure some of you may have even been taught these myths as fact in school. So now that you know the facts it’s up to you to spread the truth.

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• Elm Bark Beetle – Adult bark beetles are tiny, but voracious. Measuring 2-3mm, they are mostly black from head to thorax, and the elytra (the posterior wings), are reddish-brown. Larvae are white with a brown head, legless and c-shaped for easy burrowing.

Why are they so harmful?

The ultimate harbinger of Dutch elm disease, the elm bark beetle resides in all species of elm trees across America and is notorious for their demise. The adults munch on the crown of the trees and leave pinholes in otherwise healthy canopies and bark.  The females burrow beneath the bark to lay eggs intending for the larvae to feed on the sapwood. Once they’ve depleted the nutrients, the adults migrate to the next tree. If the tree happens to be infected with the fungus that breeds DED, it’s likely that the beetles end up carrying the spores to another tree and spreading the disease.

• Asian Long-horned beetle – One of the largest in the beetle family, they are between 1 – 1 ¾ inches long and have nearly 4 inch long antennae.

What trees do they prefer?

The Asian long-horned beetles typically feed on maples trees, some of the most popular types of trees in the US. Of course, they’ve also been spotted in horse chestnut trees, poplars, mulberries and elm trees in New York and Illinois.

• Gypsy Moth – Because they aren’t native to North America, these moths run rampant in the northeastern forests with little threat of extinction. The caterpillar larvae feed heavily on apple, alder, willow, birch and some poplar trees. Gypsy moths aren’t commonly found as far south as Charlotte, North Carolina because they seem to dislike ash, sycamore, black walnut, and pines. Though most deciduous trees can withstand the defoliation that occurs from these moths, continuous feeding can weaken and destroy trees.

How did they get here?

Gypsy moths were toted here from Asia in 1879 as an attempt to jumpstart a silkworm industry in the States. But the experiment failed and tons of larvae began breeding in northeastern regions of the country.

• Bronze Birch Borer – As one of the more resilient burrowing insects, the bronze birch borer is downright lethal to birch trees.  The borer’s larvae weaken trees by interrupting the flow of sap that trees need to survive.

How can infestation be prevented?

Bronze birch borers typically burrow into trees with wounds or weakened bark. Having well-maintained trees that are regularly inspected, sprayed and trimmed can prevent infestation.  Adequate watering can also keep birch trees healthy and spry.

• Japanese beetle –  Like other burrowing insects, the larvae do most of the destruction. Japanese beetle grubs feed on plant roots and defoliate broad-leaved trees and plants. Ornamental trees, shrubs and a variety of grasses often fall victim to their hunger.

What are the signs of infestation?

Japanese beetles are notorious for leaving behind a path of skeletal leaves on the trees they plague. They feed on the leaf tissue between the leaf veins, leaving behind lacy outlines of leaves. These soon wither and die, causing extreme defoliation.

• Apple Maggots – If you have fruit trees, you’ve most likely encountered these bad boys. Signs of their presence include shrunken, shriveled or malformed fruit as well as holes punctured through the fruit bodies.

When do the maggots appear?

The maggots are the worms of the apple maggot fly that appears in the spring and live for about a month. In that time the flies lay eggs in the fruit. Once the maggots hatch they eat through the fruit and burrow into the soil.

These pests, and others, can cause destructive tree diseases, stunted growth and malformations to hundreds of trees during feeding season. If not treated promptly and effectively they can lead to the emanate death of even the most stead-fast elm. Some offenders are easier to exterminate than others, but most of them can be destroyed with tree spraying treatments. In extreme cases, whether the tree is weakened and decaying, tree removal is necessary to prevent the spread of disease. Rotting trees can also cause damage to structures as well as passersby if not removed immediately.

Syd Martin writes for Premiere Tree Services and enjoys reporting on topics such as green living, environmental issues and nature.

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