Features:

  • Beautiful diorama style habitat
  • Ladybug land instruction guide
  • Tube of 10 to 13 ladybug larvae
  • Built-in magnifying lid for up-close ladybug observation; also includes dropper
  • STEM.org Authenticated ladybug kit can help cultivate an interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics)
  • High temperatures can impact the larvae’s survival.
A FUN Addition to our PreK- Would Make a Great Gift Also!

We loved everything about this. This was such a wonderful educational tool-- perfect for a classroom or just a fun summer project at home for a very reasonable cost. We did this alongside a ladybug unit, reading books like The Grouchy Ladybug, and other themed books. We learned about their life cycle and watched them change, journaling our way through. It was one of my kids' favorite experiences of their year together. We let them go into a garden and wished them the best of luck! We learned a song about never hurting ladybugs, and even said a little ladybug prayer. :) This was a very cool experience that captivated the parents just as much as it did the children.

Fun Project

This was a fun little project. My grand kids enjoyed watching the baby lady bugs turn into adults. Keeping them alive was very easy. The instructions were easy to follow. I ordered the baby ladybugs and received them in two days (FAST) They were almost all alive. We ended up with approximately 14 live adult ladybugs. We released them after a week so they could live in the back yard.

We really enjoyed watching them grow and go through their stages

Exactly as described. We ordered a book and a puzzle to get her really interested in lady bugs and their life cycle, then had this arrive a few weeks later. We really enjoyed watching them grow and go through their stages. Then we released them in our garden in the evening. Now every time we see a lady bug in our garden we say it's one of ours :) We cleaned it and put it away, and will probably order more larva for next year too!

Fascinating

I was so happy to be able to order these through Amazon since InsectLore is notoriously difficult to deal with. They were in perfect condition upon arrival. Having used them numerous times I learned a trick by accident this time around: leave them in the tube until they get a little bigger! Normally they manage to escape from the Ladybug Land habitat because they are so tiny they can crawl underneath the enclosure. This time, no Houdini's! If you haven't raised ladybugs before, it is easy and interesting for adults and kids alike. No one realizes what ladybug larvae look like!

Fun and easy for teacher, kids

I'm not so sure what other consumers were complaining about, but we had a great time with these. When they entered pupal stage, I thought I'd somehow killed them until I went back to read the product literature, ha! A child happened to bring in the end of a fern, which I stuck in the enclosure. I wish I'd done this earlier because the ladybugs just took to it and it made the dome more visually interesting/natural for observing as well. Releasing is easier said than done, as the pinkish little insects wanted to crawl on my hand and arm instead of flying away. First graders loved these and the butterfly Kit from same company

It really works

I read all the reviews carefullu as well as the instructions and it was a complete success. Despite my best effort to dump the contents of the lady bug larvae and god into the side of the dome, some got into the center of the mountain. So I took the lid off to try to correct, don’t do that. I ended up getting one larvae stuck in the crack where the lid goes and could not get it out. Also when it says do not over water, don’t do that and you won’t get mold in the mountain. It’s like a sponge material there so it will look dry, but I only added one drop daily and they all survived. My kids favorite part was when they turned to lady bugs and they got to feed them raisins. I’ve done other raising experiences like tadpoles and butterflies and this one was by far the easiest, most low maintenance.

hearty little ladies

Shipped promptly. The larva were all alive. I think I counted 8 total. Our ladybird habitat is old and was missing the water holder that sat on the top of the hill and was also missing the lid. We compensated by using a 100% cotton ball to hold the water (that worked well) and saran wrap with a rubber band around it for the lid. Our lid creation wasn't that successful, because occasionally the rubber band would fly off, and I wouldn't realize it for a long time - like overnight. I think we lost a larva or two because of that, and I was also afraid they wouldn't get enough oxygen, so I would occasionally leave it off for a while or fan some air into it with my hand. The second day we had them in the habitat, my youngest picked up the habitat by the cover and the base fell out. We had to hunt for a couple of the larva. I think we found them all. The larva are pretty slow moving. 5 ended up hatching into ladybugs which we released. The color was a pale pink. I later found a ladybug on my wall, so maybe one of the escapees hatched in the house. It was fun for me, but the kids were definitely more interested in the butterfly habitat. I seemed to be the only one paying attention to them. Maybe if we had waited until school was out, they would have enjoyed it more. Overall, I highly recommend these. Considering all the trauma we put them through, they were pretty hearty. We received the larva in early May in hot & humid Houston. Overall the process took about two weeks from receiving them.

It was a wonderful educational "toy" and we all loved waking up everyday ...

I ordered this for my 4 and 9 yr old daughters, but to be honest, I was just as excited myself. It was a wonderful educational "toy" and we all loved waking up everyday and checking on them. We eventually released about 12 "home grown" lady bugs we were able to "raise." They were so easy to handle and food was just a few raisins! The kids are already asking when we can get more! So much fun for all!

Experience goes beyond Common Core

All 15 larva arrived alive and active. My 1st grade students and my high school students were filled with awe. I can't think of a better way to share life lessons about curiosity, compassion and curiosity than through nature. Thank you. Even my most urban ill-mannered teen agers stopped to quietly observe. They enthusiastically made predictions about whether they'd return from spring break to find the little guys as pupae or adult lady bugs. Yesterday the majority of larvae began playing, so next Tuesday will be anyone's guess.

Awesome for kids!

My son & I loved this! We received 13 beautiful little larvae all healthy and raring to go. As the instructions stated, they went through their stages and presented themselves as adorable little ladybugs in the end. My only negative was the habitat seemed a bit small as there ended up being so many “pupa carcasses” and bug poo everywhere, it made it hard to watch them through the plastic. We happily released all 13 ladybugs into our garden plants that were full of aphids.

Full Reviews