hi Heather,
The large size in general, classified by mulberry and coastal are one inch and larger. Typically, they come in 1.5 inches.. and at 2 inches they are jumbos.
They eat only mulberry leaves. However, because you are feeding off the silkworms, the bag of leaves will be enough to last you just about 5 days. I never had an issue with customer running out of leaves, but one customer said he had leaves left over after he fed off the silkworms.
The point of me providing leaves is so that you have the following advn:
1. lower shipping cost. Chows are heavy!
2. find a tree nearby!!
3. Sustain the silkworms for one week, grow and feed. If you didnt order food, the worms will die very quickly, and they really cannot be refrigerated. In fact, without food, they get dehydrated and shrink..
4. yes you can breed them. Although I never cross breed pure blacks with the whites. Other suppliers provide them in assorted whites. I am trying to separate them out. But my current batch IS assorted, meaning, they are a whole bunch of mask face, pure whites and zebras.
5. to get them to cocoon, they eat around the clock for the last few days.. if starved, they can cocoon, but their size is reduced and may not even emerge...
I hope that answers all your questions, so far?
You are in IA? I have customers with trees on their property.