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Insect Lore

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If you are ordering a live insect kit or refill, you will be asked to select a send out date. Some insects are only available at certain times of year and so it may appear that all dates are greyed out. You will need to proceed through the calendar to a month when the insect you wish is available. Please find listed below the months between which you can purchase all of our insects:
<ul>
<li>Caterpillars: March - mid-September</li>
<li>Live Butterflies (for Butterfly Celebrations: April - September</li>
<li>Stick Insects: Year-Round</li>
<li>Ants: May - August</li>
<li>Silkworms: Year-Round</li>
<li>Snails: Year-Round</li>
<li>Ladybirds: April - mid-September</li>
<li>Worms: Year-Round</li>
<li>Pond Snails: Year-Round</li>
<li>Cockroaches: Year-Round</li>
</ul>
Please note: All dates are subject to weather conditions.
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In Case of Extreme Weather
During extreme weather, it may be necessary to delay shipping our insects for their protection. We will always aim to contact you as soon as we know of any delay.
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If you are ordering a live insect kit or refill, you will be asked to select a send out date. Some insects are only available at certain times of year and so it may appear that all dates are greyed out. You will need to proceed through the calendar t

I cannot choose a dispatch date for my live insects?

Ordering, Shipping and Returns

Butterfly raising tips and tricks

What are the differences between each live butterfly kit?

Painted Lady Butterfly facts

What are the benefits of Insect Lore's butterfly-growing kits?

Where can I find Insect Lore Butterfly Kit Instructions?

Are caterpillars available year-round?

How long is the butterfly life cycle?

What can I expect during the butterfly life cycle?

How many Cups of Caterpillars can I have in my habitat?

How soon after arriving does the caterpillar project start?

What should I do when my Cup of Caterpillars arrives?

My caterpillars have just arrived and are not moving, are they dead?

I received caterpillars instead of butterfly eggs. Can I get a replacement?

What is the food in the bottom of the Caterpillar Cup?

I have received less than 5 caterpillars, can I have more sent?

My cup has arrived with/developed condensation, what do I do?

Can I handle my Cup of Caterpillars?

One of my caterpillars is a different colour?

Why are my caterpillars spinning silky webbing?

Why are my caterpillars suddenly inactive?

How many times will my caterpillars shed their exoskeletons?

Has my caterpillar's head fallen off?

My caterpillars seem to be running out of food and/or are chewing the paper disc at the top?

Why are my caterpillars turning red?

My cup has some mould in it, what do I do?

My caterpillars keep climbing to the top of the cup, does this mean that they are ready to attach to form their chrysalis?

What is the black thing hanging from the tip of the chrysalis?

My chrysalis looks like it is changing colour

What's happening inside the chrysalis and why is it shaking?

All my caterpillars have pupated except for one. Should I wait to transfer them into my butterfly habitat?

A chrysalis fell to the bottom of the cup, what should I do?

What should I do if a chrysalis is forming on the side or bottom of the cup?

How long should I wait before moving the chrysalis to the butterfly habitat?

Where do I place the habitat?

What is a Chrysalis Station?

Has my chrysalis died?

What is the red liquid I see as my butterflies emerge?

How do I feed my butterflies?

Why does my butterfly have deformed wings?

Why aren't my butterflies flying in their habitat?

Why are my butterfly’s wings shaking?

When should I release my butterflies?

How long will my butterflies live?

Will the butterflies lay eggs?

Can I re-use my butterfly habitat?

Do you offer different species of butterflies?

Can my butterflies travel in the car?

Caterpillars and Butterflies

Where can I find instructions for my Living Twig Kit?

How long will my stick insects take to hatch?

How many insects do you guarantee?

What should I feed the stick insects?

The egg is still attached to my stick insect, can I try and remove it?

One of my Nymphs has died, is this normal?

Can I handle the stick insects?

How big will my stick insects get and how long will they live for?

How many Indian Stick Insects can we keep in a habitat?

What are the brown bits at the bottom of the habitat?

My stick insects are laying eggs, what do I do?

How often should I clean the Stick Insect habitat out?

Can the Indian Stick Insects be released?

Stick Insects

When are ladybirds available?

Do you ship the ladybirds outside of the UK?

How long will it take for my ladybird kit or larvae to arrive?

My Ladybird Kit has arrived what do I do next?

BugLand™ with Ladybird Larvae - Tips and Tricks

My ladybirds are not moving  -  are they dead?

Should I provide food and water for my ladybird larvae?

Why are my ladybirds yellow when they emerge?

How do I release my ladybirds?

How do I clean my BugLand™?

Do the ladybird larvae come with a guarantee?

Ladybird Kit Questions

What species and colour are the ladybirds?

What is a ladybirds’ lifespan in the wild?

Do ladybirds go through metamorphosis?

How fast can a ladybird fly?

Do ladybirds have to worry about predators?

How can I tell whether a ladybird is male or female?

Why does a ladybird have spots?

What do ladybirds do during the winter months?

Learn about Ladybirds

Ladybirds

When can I order ants and how many do I get?

Do ants bite?

Do you send queen ants?

How many species of ants are there?

Can I touch my ants?

How do I transfer the ants into the habitat?

Should I release my ants?

General Ant Questions

Ants

How many Shrimp are sent with the Evivo and what species are they?

How does the Evivo work?

What do I need to set up my Evivo?

How do I maintain the Evivo?

Do you send shrimp out all year round?

How long will the shrimp live for?

My shrimp look dead on arrival! What do I do?

Do I need to provide food or anything else for the shrimps?

There are weird transparent shrimp in my ecosystem. What are these?

There is a lot of algae, is this ok?

The water is milky/unclear, is there something wrong?

Evivo (Shrimp)

Can I release my Giant Land Snail?

Where can I find Giant African Land Snail instructions?

How long can Giant African Land Snails live?

What do I feed the snails?

Can I handle my Giant African Land Snail?

How do I set up a habitat for my snail?

Do I need to provide a heat pad?

How often do I clean the tank out?

Will my snail lay eggs?

My snail has arrived dead?

Giant Land Snails

Where can I find instructions for the Silkworm kit?

How long will the whole process take?

What temperature should the silkworms be kept at?

How often should I feed the silkworms?

How often do I clean the silkworm rearing tub?

How long will it take my silkworm eggs to hatch?

Can I handle the silkworms?

My Silkworms are not eating or moving, what's wrong?

How long before my silkworms start spinning silk?

How long does it take for them to spin their cocoons?

How long will the silkworms be in their cocoons?

What habitat do I need to keep the moths in?

What do I need to do with the adult moths once they emerge?

What do the moths eat?

How long will the moths live?

Can I release the silk moths into the environment?

If the moths do mate, what do I do with the eggs?

My female has laid eggs even though I separated the males and females! What should I do?

Silkworms

How can I contact someone about a Butterfly Celebration?

What months are Butterfly Celebrations available?

What size and colour are the butterflies?

If I order online, how will you know what date I require the Butterfly Celebration for?

How many butterflies will there be in my Butterfly Celebrations and how are they packaged?

How do I care for my Butterfly Celebration when it arrives?

When I release the butterflies from my Butterfly Celebration, what can I do to encourage them to stick around?

I live in the middle of a city, is that an issue for a Butterfly Celebration?

Can you send Butterfly Celebrations outside of the UK?

What happens if it rains when I want to release my Butterfly Celebration?

Butterfly Celebrations

How can I contact Insect Lore Europe?

Where can I find instructions for my kit?

I sent an email enquiry but do not seem to have a response yet?

I need to reset my password

I've just realised I put the wrong delivery address on my order, can I amend it?

I lost my live insect instructions. Where can I find them?

Can I substitute items during Insect Lore Europe promotions?

What is your VAT number?

Can I get a VAT invoice?

Customer Service

Where do I find my voucher?

How do I redeem my voucher?

My voucher code is not being accepted?

How do I redeem multiple vouchers?

My voucher code is not in the format 'XXX-XXX-XXXX'?

I have lost my voucher, what do I do?

I received a voucher in the mail, not live insects. What happened to my order?

My voucher says it is 'currently being redeemed'?

I thought I had redeemed my voucher online, but I have no email confirmation and I have since lost/thrown my voucher out, what can I do?

Why am I being charged postage on my voucher redemption?

Where can I purchase an Insect voucher?

I have an e-gift card to redeem - not a caterpillar voucher?

Vouchers

Ordering Tips

What is the Insect Lore Guarantee?

How do I place an order online?

I have not received an order confirmation email

When is the best time to order my insects?

How much should I expect to pay for shipping?

Can I make one order for multiple addresses?

Do I need to sign for my parcel on arrival?

I am ordering for a School, when is the best time to start the project?

How do I submit a purchase order?

How do I request a quote for my School?

What is a kit 'sent with live caterpillars'?

Can I send my order to a different address to my billing address?

I'd like to order a Live Butterfly Garden as a gift, but don't know whether the recipient is ready to take care of the live insects now?

How do the kits work if I order one with a voucher?

What are your current shipping times?

How can I track my order?

My online order was due to be dispatched today but I have not received an email to confirm this, has my order not shipped?

I cannot choose a dispatch date for my live insects?Updated 9 months ago