Educational Insights GeoSafari Jr. Ladybug Garden - Ladybug House, Kids Science Kit with Live Ladybugs, Terrarium Kit for Kids, at Home STEM Bug Habitat for Boys & Girls Ages 3+

Fascinating to watch the larvae (sold separately) grow! We also used it before the larvae arrived to catch ladybugs in our garden & keep them in here for a bit to observe them. We always release them safely of course. I've purchased 2 ladybug gardens & by far prefer this one. It's adorable & affordable

This Ladybug Garden is really cute, and it's bigger than other kits that I have seen. The ladybug larvae seem to like their habitat. The ladybug shaped cave and tree design give them a lot of hiding spots that they seem to enjoy. The sponge works well for holding the water. It can be a little awkward to reach around the tree branches to avoid dropping the food into the water, but the tiny but long spoon that is included when you order the larvae is helpful for that purpose.My 4 1/2 year old son has been interested in looking at the larvae, and I have too! It's fun to watch them eat, and they do eat quite a bit. He says he wants to see them turn into ladybugs and is looking forward to seeming them as pupa. The instruction guide that comes with the Ladybug Garden has a lot of good information and pictures to explain the process, fun facts and some small coloring and drawing activities. His preschool has introduced a Butterfly Garden, but I like that ladybugs have a bit shorter transformation time.A certificate is included with the Ladybug Garden that allows you to order ladybug larvae online from Carolina Biological Supply Company for $12.95 shipping and handling. The fee was a little higher than expected, but I was able to find a coupon code online that saved a little. The larvae come with food, instructions (although you'll want to follow the instruction booklet for the Ladybug Garden instead) and the aforementioned spoon.The larvae can't ship in extreme cold winter temperatures, and Educational Insights recommends spring or summer. However, I live in Florida and had no problems receiving the larvae in February. Carolina Biological says that they ship 10 to 15 larvae and guarantee at least 5 adult lady beetles. I received about 12 live larvae, and several appear close to turning into pupa.Update: We have 9 ladybugs! One larvae took 2-3 days longer to turn into a pupa, so the total may end up being 10. I think that's a pretty good result, so I would recommend using the certificate included with the Ladybug Garden to purchase ladybug larvae.

Set up is really easy, and it is really cute. I'm positive my kids are going to love it. The only complaints I have about the lady bug house is that it'd probably be better if it was a type of snap cover on top instead of the twist that you have to do.The other thing, they need to update the lady bug voucher. The price is actually $14.95 ($15.55 after taxes and fees) Not $12. Unless there was a code that I missed.Other than that everything seems to be fine if I don't update this post then it worked out perfect and we will probably do it again before the weather changes.

The product details touts that it "Includes a mail-in certificate to receive ladybug larvae for continental U.S. (consumer pays postage)". Ok, so you expect there'll be some postage. Didn't expect that the postage would be $12.95 though.But that's not the scam. The certificate contains no code to redeem an order of ladybugs. No, it's just has a link to their public website that anyone can get to. Which gives you the privilege of paying $16.45 for the ladybugs. And don't forget the $12.95 shipping.So once it's all said and done, you'll spend $25 on the habitat, and another $30 for the ladybugs. With the certificate being utterly meaningless.Absolute garbage business practices. There are a lot of junk products on Amazon, but this one takes the cake.

This is very cute and a pretty good size. I decided to buy this because we have ladybugs entering our house as it is getting cold outside. I had to drill a bunch small holes on the top because I’d like to keep them warm until spring and release them outside (with no holes there is not adequate ventilation as is). We’re feeding them honey on toothpicks, keeping the sponge wet in the tree for moisture, and misting some water with a spray bottle. We also added flowers and lettuce. I heard a mix of nutritional yeast, honey, and sugar is what they will eat in the absence of aphids- they will possibly eat lettuce. It’s nice to put some leaves and twigs in there to add a bit of nature.

The little house itself is fine, but don’t order larva from the company they give you the voucher for. First of all it didn’t really work so I ended up paying more than I was supposed to. About half the larva arrived dead and a lot more died. Some survived and became pupa. One adult emerged and immediately died. The rest of the pupa are all apparently dead now because no more came out. Very disappointing for my boys.

This ladybug habitat is the cutest thing ever. I needed a new one since my old domed mountain habitat is on its last leg. The old one I have now retails for $29.99 plus $7.95 for the larvae. This one cost me just short of $18 with a clipped coupon plus $14 to ship the larvae. It's considerably bigger and has three magnified viewing areas as opposed to only one. The whole top screws on and off as does the small top magnifying portal used to give your larvae/ladybugs water. I lost the old top since it slid on and off. The inside surfaces of this one are also solid plastic as opposed to the thin delicate plastic the mountain was made of in my old habitat. I even like that the little sponge you put the water on comes out for washing as opposed to the glued on piece of felt on my old one that couldn't be cleaned. I just got it so I can't vouch for durability yet but nothing about it is flimsy so I anticipate it lasting and it was more than $5 cheaper than the alternative. Hope this helps.