Small-Life Supplies for British Butterfly Kits
Caterpillars
and School Topic Ideas

Privet Hawk caterpillar
Caterpillar		 British Privet Hawk Caterpillars
 (Sphinx ligustri)

Our British Privet Hawk caterpillars are growing well and are being dispatched now.

These are harmless caterpillars that eat privet leaves. You can watch them grow over the next few weeks. They are smooth green caterpillars with purple and white markings and can grow as big as 8cm long! Their black tail spike is harmless.


Initially, you can keep these small British Privet Hawk caterpillars in a plastic container with a netting lid (eg a tupperware bowl with old tights stretched over the top). However, very quickly, within a week or so, the caterpillars will have outgrown this housing and should be transferred to a large airy cage, such as the BSP. They will continue to grow in the BSP until they get to about 8cm long.

The caterpillars then transform into smooth brown pupae on the floor of the BSP. The pupae remain like this for the next few months (they do not feed during this time) and the large winged adults with stripey pink bodies should emerge in June 2011. These are British insects and can be released outdoors in the UK.
Privet Hawk
Stripey pink body
Privet leaves
Privet
BSP cage
BSP		 PRICES:
Caterpillars £3.99 each (includes information sheet) + express delivery. This delivery charge is £5.95 regardless of how many you order.
BSP £29.99 (free delivery when ordered with the caterpillars).
BSP factory seconds £23.99 (free delivery when ordered with the caterpillars). These cages are new but have small imperfections/ marks on the sides, roof and base.
Bag of Fresh Cut Privet £1.99 (free delivery when ordered with the caterpillars), additional bags incur a £2.95 delivery charge.

To buy on-line click Caterpillar Order Form and list which items you'd like.


British Stripey Snail Kit

Our British Stripey Snail Kit is always popular because these snails are so lively, particularly the yellow ones!

You receive three British Stripey Snails. Keep them in the BSC snail centre provided. They eat Weetabix and need empty hen eggshells for calcium (to help their shells grow and stay strong). A Water Dish is also included; keep this topped up with cold tap water so the snails can drink.

Use a soft grey Liner on the floor; this cushions the impact of any snail, should it fall. The children can watch the snails eating, drinking, and sliding up and down the sides of the snail centre. The snails rest under the roof.
These are British snails and can be released outside in a sunny overgrown area in the UK.

British snails
British Stripey Snails
BSC snail centre
BSC snail centre
The British Stripey Snail Kit includes: three snails (with different patterns so you can tell them apart), one BSC housing, Liner, Water Dish, instructions and information sheet about snails.
Active snails!
Easy to feed; they eat Weetabix and eggshells.
British, so you can release them in the UK.
Price for one kit is £11.99 + £6.95 express delivery.
To buy on-line click British Stripey Snail Kit


School Topic Ideas
Pink Winged stick insects - what governs where they lay their eggs?
  • Tape strips of different coloured paper onto the outside of the mesh of the cage and see which coloured paper the Pink Winged choose to glue their eggs on.
 Pimk winged stick insect on a hand

Indian stick insects - how does diet affect their behaviour?
  • Feed one cage of Indian stick insects with privet leaves and another cage of Indian stick insects with bramble (blackberry) leaves. Record the differences in growth rates, activity levels and lifespans.
 Indian stick insect

Thailand stick insects - egg laying charts
  • Record how many eggs Thailand stick insects lay each day and how long these eggs take to hatch (they can hatch in 4 weeks).
 Thailand stick insect

Which eggshells do Giant African Land Snails prefer to eat?
  • Giant African Land Snails eat the inside of eggshells to obtain extra calcium. Give them a selection of eggshells and see which they prefer. For example do they prefer expensive Colombian Blacktail eggs to the "standard" eggs? And do they choose to eat free range organic eggs rather than the cheaper barn-laid eggs?
Snail eating eggshell

Please email your topic suggestions to: les@small-life.co.uk
If you would like any advice or wish to place an order, please phone 01949 842446.

Please note that all photographs on this site are copyrighted by Small-Life Supplies and must not be copied or reproduced elsewhere.

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