An educational tourist spot in Bogor Regency, which offers education about the process of making silk threads and fabrics ready to use, including how to cultivate the silk-producing Bombyx Mori caterpillar, you can visit Rumah Sutera Alam which is located on Jl. Ciapus Raya, Pasireurih Village, Tamansari District, Bogor Regency, West Java. In a complex of approximately 4 hectares, visitors will be invited to tour the five areas accompanied by a guide.

The first area, there is a Mulberry garden. On this land, planted 4 types of mulberry trees. Each of the types of Lembang, Multicaulis, Canva and Katayana. Young mulberry leaves are the food for silkworms. While the older leaves are not liked by caterpillars but can still be used for human consumption.

The second area, where the Bombyx mori type silkworm is cultivated, is placed in a closed and sterile room. Because these silkworms are very sensitive, they die easily. That's why the door of the room must always be closed. The caterpillar's house must always be clean and sprayed with disinfectant. It takes 3 days for the caterpillar to wrap itself into a cocoon. In the cocoon, the caterpillar undergoes metamorphosis or changes shape into a pupa. If the process continues, the pupa will become a butterfly. One week later the cocon is ready to be harvested. Ready-to-harvest cocoons are oval in shape with a brilliant white color.

The third area, the raw silk room, is the room for spinning cocon into yarn. In this room the cocon is boiled to remove the adhesive substance. Then the end of the cocon fiber is attached to the spinning machine. Pupae in cocon can be made as a side dish. The finished spun silk thread is now available for sale. Comparison of Indonesian silk thread products with Thailand, Indonesian silk products are white. While the silk from Thailand is yellow.

The fourth area, the silk fabric weaving room. In the weaving room there are several non-machine looms (ATBM). With this tool silk threads will be woven into cloth.

Fifth area, Natural Sutra gallery. Silk end products and by-products are sold in galleries. Here you can see and buy plain colored silk fabrics or those that have been batik. The form is in the form of a sarong, scarf or ready-to-use product in the form of a blouse and kebaya. For batik these fabrics are sent to Cirebon. By-products are also provided here. There is mulberry leaf tea, key chains from cocon that has been removed from the pupa, to cocon for masks.

Rumah Sutera Alam has been established since 2001, this place was originally only a place for silkworm cultivation. Then in 2003 a factory made silk thread. In 2004 it started producing silk woven fabrics and only in 2006 was opened to the public as a place for educational tours about silk. In 2012 the first lady of the Czech president visited this place.

speaker: Yan Kusmayandi, natural silk housekeeper