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Average Customer Rating
 4 out of 5 |
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Witness the magic of biology as tiny larvae bloom into beautiful ladybugs. The ladybug metamorphosis kit is a colorful, see-through habitat that provides kids with an up-close look at the miracle of nature. Features: Colorful, see-through Ladybug Land habitat. Mail-in certificate for ladybug larvae and food -15-20 larvae, shipped separately. It includes a magnified viewing lens fun-filled fact and a instruction guide. You can watch in amazement as the larvae shed their skins and extend their delicate new wings. Then set them free into your backyard, where they will contribute to the living ecosystem. A wonderful journey for little nature a lover, this one-of-a-kind kit makes the wonders of the world real, tangible and fun.
....read more Tags: 2100, homeschooling, Insect, Insect Lore, insects, Ladybug, ladybugs, Land, Land Description, Lore, nature, science
Jeena Jarvis
on Apr 9th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Amazon Late Shipping!!!!!
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
What’s the point of paying for Amazon Prime when packages keep arriving late???? It doesn’t matter how fun a toy is for a 3 year old, when it comes the day AFTER their birthday!!!
T. Shah
on Apr 14th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Hit with the kids, but buy during spring and summer, not fall or winter
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought this for my nieces, and they couldn’t stop talking about it. Unfortunately, I bought it for them in September, and the Fall was right around the corner. You have to send out for the eggs/larvae, and the temperature must be above a certain temperature (I think 50 degrees Farenheit) for them to mail them to you. Otherwise the eggs/larvae will die. So my nieces enthusiasm has been chilled until the spring… it has really piqued their interest though, as they still remember the gift four months later. (for purposes of knowing appropriateness of age, one is 6 and the other is 3).
R. Hagen
on Apr 14th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Great gift for the bug lover!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
My 7 year old recieved this as a gift for his birthday. It was a hit. We had no idea what the lifecycle for a ladybug was, it was fascinating to learn and watch the whole process. We were a little sad when we finally had to let them go. The Ladybug land is very durable and can be used again. We can’t wait to order more ladybug larvae and start the process over.
Marc Urban
on Apr 19th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Incredible product AND Service!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Ladybug Land is a terrific product for my kids. We had a blast: (a) anticipating the larvae arrival (b) watching them eat and grow (c) transforming into little ladybugs. Huge thumbs ups from my 9 year old son and 6 and 4 year old daughters. We live in Florida and I ordered these towards the end of summer. There was no way the larvae could survive the Florida heat via normal transportation methods so I emailed customer service to arrange for a different method. Pat White, the CEO and Founder of Insect Lore, responded personally and made certain that we received our larvae as quickly and as safely as possible. They were under no obligation to provide extra service or anything but Pat was beyond gracious and considerate and I give a huge thumbs up to the customer service of Insect Lore.
C. Walker
on Apr 20th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Fun and Educational
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This toy allows you the chance to watch lady bugs grow before your eyes. From the larva to actual ladybugs. My son was fascinated by the whole thing and would check on them a couple times a day. After they were grown we were able to put them in the garden.
Child Writer
on Apr 24th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Fascinating Ladybugs
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This toy is so fscinating and educational at the same time. Sturdy construction and a chance to get a great view of nature in progress. Would be wonderful for a classroom setting or science wing of any child’s room. Great conversation piece.
If you enjoy ladyubugs for this age group, I recommend a children’s book, Ladybug Baby Bug, by Janice and Mark Perkins
Ladybug Baby Bug
M. Woodward
on Apr 27th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Fun, Fun, Fun
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I bought this for my 3 year’s birthday. She loves ladybugs. The larva arrived about 3 weeks after sending in the money. They are easy to care for and fun to watch develope so fast…
Very Pleased Mom
on Apr 29th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Not Pleased…
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
My husband and I bought this for our 4 year old son for his birthday. The land arrived withen only a few days. We sent off for the ladybugs that night and the wait began. After a week, I checked my bank and found they had cashed the check, so I waited some more. I called after about 10 days and found out the ladybug had shipped. The ladybugs arrived 13 days after shipment and most were dead. My son was vey upset, he was looking forward to having his ladybugs. We did what we could to help the 2 that made it here alive, but it was to no avail. The paper that comes with the ladybug started to grow mold, as did the sponge inside. We also found out the ladybugs are allergenic, so parents be warned. This was a waste of $20, I wish now I had bought my son something else.
Prue's mom
on May 3rd, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Simple, wonderful, fun
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
My 6-year-old daughter received this as a Christmas present, so we had to wait a long time to send away for our bugs, because we really wanted to set them free afterwards. The little house is so cute, she played with it anyway. The bugs came within the timeframe indicated, and we got 11 of them into the house (Mommy might have let a few escape by accident!) Every single one of them lived and hatched into a ladybug, which really surprised me. The whole family was absolutely fascinated by the process. When it came time to let them go, they crawled all over my delighted daughter’s hands before flying away. We’re going to order more larva!
Bambi Wineland
on May 5th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Love the lady bugs – it’s a wonderful product!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
My kids loved watching the lady bugs go through their stages of development. It’s very cool! And releasing them was an even bigger hit!!
Kim Pamintuan
on May 9th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
My 6-Year Old Loves This!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I got this for my 6-year old daughter. We live in Florida. After sending in $3 for the laydybug larva, it took 2 weeks for our larva to arrive. We started our process at the end of May. I gave my daughter the habitat and the bugs at that time. She as ABSOLUTELY thrilled!!!! We got a total of 14 larva. After about 2 days, some of the larva became pupa as they cling to the underside of the dome. After another 5 days as pupas, they crawled out of their outer skin and and looked white. In a matter of hours, they looked a pale yellow. The next day, they were all bright pink with black dots. We’ve never seen pink-spotted ladybugs before. The whole family like to sit and look at them. We were amazed that all 14 larva actually grew into ladybugs.
I’d recommend this as a gift. We’re very happy with it.
Sharon Ivanauskas
on May 12th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Dead larvae!
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
Like another reviewer, I also received a tube of what looked like dead larvae. Only 1 was alive in the end. I called up Customer Service and was on the phone waiting to talk to a live person for 50 minutes! Finally got through to someone & they said they would send some more. Nothing yet though.
The actual ladybug land is very cheaply made and the children can easily pull the top off & then the ladybugs can escape. So just beware.
K. Ghrer
on May 16th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
fun
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Bought this for my son’s 4th birthday. All the kids loved it and they still talk about it all the time.
Tracy M. Oman
on May 19th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Bad Design
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I bought this kit for my daughter and we all had great fun watching the larvae grow and morph into lady beetles. Unfortunately, the container is poorly designed. When you take the lid off to give them water, the lady bugs (at whatever stage) wander into the crevice meant for the lid. They are then squished when you try to replace the lid. Out of the 10 larvae, we ended up with one lady beetle to release. The rest died in the manner described above. If the container was designed a little differently, we would consider buying more.
Wilbur Lidzy
on May 23rd, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Made me a hero with my granddaughter.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is educational, but no one will notice if you don’t tell them. It comes with a mail in cupon and once you have the larvae, the fun begins. Make sure you share the information and discuss all of the events of the bug cycle. Learning can be fun.
K. M. Moody
on May 24th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Fun For Everyone!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought this kit for the library I work at in Utah, so that the children could come in and watch the ladybugs grow as a part of our Catch the Reading Bug summer reading program. It was a big hit! We had to order them again, because the kids were sad we released the ladybugs. The first time we did it, however, out of the 12 ladybugs, only three made it to adult. The second time we had better luck. We currently have six of 10 that turned into adults. I wouldn’t be surprised if we have some eggs in the habitat pretty soon.
The butterfly kits were a big success as well. We had one handicap butterfly, but he/she learned to fly just fine. We ended up having 8 of 10 turn into butterflies (despite the fact that three of the chrysalis fell down).
As for some having dead ladybugs arrive, it’s possible that the environments they were shipped through were too hot for them. You may want to consider contacting the company first if you’re worried about the larvae arriving alive. All of our ladybugs arrived alive, so I can’t be sure why this problem occurred. As for Oregon residents who bought this kit, unfortunately most companies won’t ship ladybugs to Oregon, but try googling live ladybug kits. There may be a company out there who will ship to Oregon.
Karen
on May 25th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Loved this toy
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
My 6 year old daughter loved this toy. She is having fun studying the bugs from our garden, we did not even receive the mail order bugs yet.
Patricia Kaiser
on May 28th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Not a Good Experience
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
My sister ordered this for my 11 year old daughter. We promptly ordered the larvae with the understanding that they would not mail them until the weather conditions were agreeable. We ordered them in Texas in August so when we didn’t get them for a couple of months, we thought it was still too hot. Finally about 4 months after we ordered the larvae (and had received nothing), I called the company. Firstly, they acted like I was crazy for not having called them sooner and/or was lying about it. They asked for proof of purchase. I said I had our half of the postcard that we used to order the larvae. They asked that I fax a copy of this to them. (Still felt like they thought I was trying to pull some scam!!) We then received a mailing tube of what appeared to be dead larvae. We went ahead and followed all directions to the letter. Nothing ever moved, lived or developed at all. I faxed a copy of the original card again telling them that everything was dead when received and/or died in transit. That was at least 6 months ago and they never even responded. Don’t waste your money on this. Sadly, the company is not at all interested in the children that are disappointed. Every time I look at that empty habitat (kinda cute actually), I’m furious at a company that doesn’t care that my 11 year old (now 12) got a useless gift that should have been a good gift! Shame on Insect Lore!!!
SUE LAMBERT
on Jun 1st, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
A little boring–kids review
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I couldn’t wait for when the lady bugs arrived in the mail. When they finally did, I was grossed out at the fact that they were tiny larvae. There wasn’t much to watch besides the fact that you had to feed them everyday or else they’d die, but reaching my hand in there was probably one of the most dreaded things of the day…especially because nobody else would do it for me!
A lot of people complain that the ladybugs didnt live but I think all of mine made it to the ladybug stage. It may have been a disgusting process, but it felt great to finally let them go.
I recommend not getting these if you are not going to be willing to feed them and see white larvae.
Ashlee J. Peters
on Jun 3rd, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Ladybug Land a Great Science Experiment!
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I bought this item for my kindergarten class. We watched the larvae crawl around for a few days, but they ate all the food they came with on the first day. I started to worry they would starve, so I fed them aphids until they went into the pupae phase. I got about 10 ladybugs, and only 4 of them survived to become adult ladybugs, but the kids were really excited when they finally came out. They look a little different than regular red ladybugs, but you can still tell that’s what they are. The kids enjoyed watching them, and it made for a great science experiment in the classroom. I would highly recommend this product to anyone teaching small children. You do have to be careful not to knock the lid off. I had several escapees because my children kept bumping the lid, and they were able to crawl out from under it.
Teacher
on Jun 5th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Great educational tool!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
My students loved watching the cycle of the ladybug. I will use this in my classroom again!
Thomas J. Utley Jr.
on Jun 9th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Ladybug Land is Great
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
We loved this gift. Our four-year-old twin girl received it as a gift. We filled out the egg order form in her own name, so she was super excited when the package arrived in the mail with her own name on it. She would call me at work to tell me what the ladybugs larvae were doing, and was ecstatic the day we released the mature ladybugs into our backyard garden.
Anonymous
on Jun 11th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
This is the best thing in the world
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The ladybug land is really fun, you should get it too. I had so much fun when I watched the ladybugs grow.
San Antonio Sam
on Jun 13th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Ladybug land failed to impress
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Unlike the excellent butterfly garden, this was a so-so gift for my nieces. Ladybugs, some never hatched, rest were too small for easy viewing. Will try an “ant farm” this year using the blue gel NASA media that replaces the old dirt farms that I had as a kid.
Noelle
on Jun 14th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Smaller than it looks
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
They make it look much bigger in the picture and was really surprised when I opened the box. Guess I should have read the dimensions.
J. Sivertsen
on Jun 14th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
My four year old loved this
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This was so much fun and so educational we had the best time checking them every day. And even when it was time to let the lady bugs go free it was a fun day. Now everytime we see a ladybug my daughter says thats one of my ladybugs coming to see me. I reccomend this for any child.
N. Stephens
on Jun 17th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Awesome Toy!!! But tape cover on.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is simply an awesome toy! My 5 year old self-proclaimed “Bug Expert” thoroughly enjoyed our ladybug experience. I must say, I found it fascinating myself.
Every single ladybug survived to adulthood, and is happily eating aphids in my garden now.
We did have one bit of excitement when someone picked it up by the lid and we discovered my little tape tabs were insufficient. Ladybugs ended up all over the kitchen. We rounded them all up and all ended well, but it was quite a scene. I would strongly suggest securely taping the lid on before putting the ladybugs in. It just sits on the base, there is no locking mechanism.
Stephanie Burns
on Jun 18th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Oregon beware
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I bought this for my niece for her birthday. I was disappointed to find out when the package was delivered that they don’t send the ladybug larva to Oregon. There wasn’t anything indicating that the ladybug larva couldn’t be sent to certain states.
E. Downing
on Jun 20th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Excellent!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
We received 16 larva eaxcatly when we requested them and all have survived as far as we can tell. My 6 year old and my 3 year old loved watching the larva walk around and now love the pink ladybugs. It was particularly interesting for them because we had a few larva, a few pupa and a few adult ladybugs all at the same time. I even brought this in to my daughter’s 1st grade class and had a mini-lesson with the kids. The teacher says they’re still talking about it. This is well worth the money.
Deanna Breglia
on Jun 21st, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
No Ladybugs in the Land
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I bought this for my niece, Alex, in 2004 when she was three. She had just dressed up as a ladybug for Halloween and I thought it would make a fun project to work on in the afternoons with her grandparents.
The day the toy arrived, Alex was ecstatic, however, first the larvae would have to be ordered. Her ecstasy subsided over the period of SIX WEEKS that it took for the larvae to arrive.
Once the larvae arrived, Alex’s grandparents followed the directions perfectly. No matter. The larvae sprouted, stumbled around Ladybug Land for a couple of days, then died.
The habitat was adorable. The bugs just didn’t want to live there.
It was a disappointment for everyone, though, at times like this, we should look to the wisdom of children.
Alex: “All of them died but at least we still have their house.”
L. Beatty
on Jun 22nd, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Fabulous fun
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I got this for my 3 yr old’s birthday after our tremendous luck with the butterflies. (another 5 stars). well the lady bugs came out of their cocoons four days ago and are munching raisens and runnning around the pavillion. she LOVES them. we only ended up with 6 live ladybugs but that’s plenty for her. she runs to check them every morning and sit and watches them for long periods of time (for a 3-yr-old). i am very happy with this product and will certainly get more ladies.
K. Emery
on Jun 26th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Very disappointing!
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
We were so excited to try this out with our little boy, but it was not what we expected. The only exciting day of insect watching came the day that the shipment arrived from Insect Lore – the ladybug larvae moved around a lot for about a day, then hid for almost 5 days while they turned into ladybugs. Once they were ladybugs, they just sat around and didn’t do anything (they only seemed to move when we weren’t looking at them). Then they died. Wow, what a letdown. Next time, we’ll go with an old-fashioned ant farm!
Taya Baldwin
on Jun 26th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Ladybugs are a big hit
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Bought this for my son’s 5th birthday since he loves Ladybugs. Sent of for the larvae two weeks before his birthday and it arrived on his birthday. All the larvae arrived alive. They changed to pupa in two days and are now ladybugs. He is constantly watching his ladybugs. He has a little brother (1 1/2) who also likes the ladybug land and has dropped it many times. It has no cracks and the bugs do not seemed fazed so I would say it is very durable.
J. Terry
on Jun 28th, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Ladybug mausoleum
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
Larvae arrived with all but one dead. After a little while, it died too. Contacted the company and they responded very quickly. They also sent a new batch of ladybug larvae very quickly. The only problem is that these arrived dead too. All of them.
Emailed the company several times back and forth and finally came to a resolution. They sent Painted Lady “butterfly culture” aka tiny caterpillars.
As of June 12, 2005, the five sent are all alive. Hopefully, we will finally get to watch nature at work. All we’ve seen so far is the grim reaper.
So, in order, it’s dead ladybug larvae; dead ladybug larvae; help from customer service;live caterpillars.
Now,all we have to do is figure out what to do with our empty ladybug land.
StevieD
on Jul 1st, 2010
@ 12:00 am:
Sometimes Cannibals (but not always)!
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
Our ladybug larvae seemed to prefer to eat each other rather than the food which came with our shipment of ladybugs. It was rather gruesome to watch, so we let the larvae loose outside. The company representative we spoke with had no explanation for the phenomenon, but was willing to ship us another package of ladybugs free of charge. I don’t think we can handle watching a repeat of the cannibalism.
The new larvae behaved themselves (i.e., they didn’t eat each other). They grew to maturity and we relaeased them into the backyard. I guess ladybugs, like love, can be better the second time around.