Insects in your home

A small child can not yet take responsibility for raising an animal: dogs or cats. But to observe for a while insects, to study their behavior, way of feeding and way of life, and then release to freedom, it is quite possible. It does not hurt the bug and will be a rewarding experience for a small naturalist.

Deer beetle

This insect is listed in the Red Book and is rare. Having met a deer beetle in nature, it can not be caught for a collection, it is better to let it go so that it can leave offspring. In adult insects, this is only 2 months, then they die.

Several species of horned beetles are bred in captivity. You can buy yourself a pet, both in the stage of the larva, and an adult insect. They reach a length of 7-10 cm. A plastic container of at least 15×15 cm is suitable for keeping the insect free to move. The main thing is to ensure the supply of fresh air through small openings and access to water.

In a natural habitat, they feed on the juice of trees. At home, for this piece of cloth, folded several times and moistened in sugar syrup or fruit juice, will do. The development of the larval stage lasts 2-3 years. It is also interesting to observe it. In nature, larvae live in rotten wood.

Bronze

The greatest interest for home care is represented by bronze goliaths, growing to a length of up to 12 cm and weighing about 100 grams. They dwell in the tropics. But the bronzes that we meet are no less interesting. They reach 3 cm in length. Distinguishes their unusual metallic color with the emerald-golden tints.

The larval stage in tropical species lasts from 2 to 6 months, and for the most common golden bronzes we have from 1 to 3 years, everything depends on the weather and climate conditions. An adult beetle in the adult stage can live from several months to a year and a half.
To take care of these insects is simple, they are non-aggressive, do not bite. They feed on pollen, nectar, fruits, young leaves. In captivity, you can feed bronzovka with various fruits and pleasantly smelling flowers.

To keep the larvae, it is necessary to prepare a substrate: 2 parts of the leafy leaves of the trees and 1 part of the garden ground. The soil should always be slightly moist. Small pieces of fruit are buried 2 cm deep 2-3 cm.

Anthill in your house

Some kinds of ants can be kept at home. To create a durable colony, it is better to choose a tropical species of these social insects. On sale there are ant hills made of plastic, gypsum, glass (with ready moves) and even from edible gel, in which ants can eat their own moves.
The difficulty is the feeding of these insects. They need to ensure the uninterrupted supply of insects for feed. Pieces of fruit can serve only as an additive to the basic diet. It is important to periodically spray over the anthill water, you can pour a little water into a special drinking bowl.

Mantis

The habits of mantis are unusual, therefore it is rather interesting to observe them. They grow up to 7 cm, can be green and brown. They feed on butterflies, crickets and other insects. They live from half a year to a year and a half.

In the terrarium, the praying mantis needs to maintain a temperature of 24-25 degrees. For this purpose, a fluorescent lamp and special heating stones. The volume of the terrarium must be at least 30 liters. Necessarily the presence of numerous snags, twigs, you can even plant live plants. For soil use ordinary earth, bark of trees, coconut shavings.

Mantis are predators, they can be fed with butterflies, fruit flies, crickets, grasshoppers, ordinary flies. All insects must be alive, they do not eat the dead. To maintain the optimum humidity level, the terrarium must be sprayed with water. Be sure to put a drinker about 2 cm high.
Adult insects can fly, so when you open the terrarium, check if all the doors and windows are closed in the room. Do not recommend keeping several mantises in one terrarium, as they are very voracious and not against cannibalism.

If you decide to start a pet for the entire period of his life, it is better to purchase terrariums that are designed to contain certain types of insects.You can see the types of terrariums by reference.

The child should understand that he is responsible for those who have tamed. An insect bought in a pet store, which is adapted to life under special conditions, will not survive if it is released to freedom. Therefore, if a child needs a pet for several days or weeks, it is better to catch a ladybird, bronze or a large beetle, watch it for a while and release it.