(3) Pupa Explanation: It is during the pupa or cocoon stage that the silkworm yields the fiber of commercial use. As the silkworm prepares topupate, it spins a protective cocoon. About the size and color of a cotton ball, the cocoon is constructed from one continuous strand of silk, perhaps 1.5 km long (nearly a mile). The silk cocoon serves as protection for the pupa.