Entomoculture in the Empire

The practice of entomoculture is prevalent in many areas of the Empire, and with many species of insects. Besides providing food and food products such as honey and honeydew, other valuable insect products which can be cultivated include silk and colourings such as tree cinnabar and Tanailé blue.

Sericulture
Main Article: Sericulture and Silk in the Empire

By far the most important and culturally significant example of entomoculture in the Empire is in the production of silk, a luxury fabric produced by the silkworms. The origins of sericulture lie buried within legends and myths; in the foundation myths of the Tarakasane, sericulture was one of three arts of cultivation taught to them by the gods, alongside aquaculture and agriculture. Since the silk moth is capable of flight, sericulture is taken to represent the dominion of man over the air.

Silk making and sericulture is often viewed as a preserve of womenfolk, and as a cottage culture is widespread in most parts of the Empire; it is common to see villages with groves of mulberry trees between the houses and fields, to supply leaves for the voracious larvae.