There are more than 2000 species of stick insect in the world to date, and here is the chance to grow your very own at home or at school.

The Carausius morosus variety is commonly known as the Indian or Laboratory Stick Insects. These are amongst the easiest to take car of. They are commonly called stick insects because they closely resemble a stick, this is no coincidence, it is part of their survival strategy to blend in with the scenery so as to fool their predators that they are not really a live insect at all.

The neatest thing about this species is that when it is held it will often fold all of its legs in, and become a complete stick. Carausius morosus is the most recognized species of phasmid in the world. A fabulous project to keep children interested for a long time

Stick Insect Kit Includes

Habitat, water dropper, magnifier, tweezers, Activity and instruction book and order form to buy your live stick insect eggs.

The male of the species is just 45 to 65mm long but these are very rare, with females outnumbering males by around 1000 to 1.

The female grows much bigger to around 70-85mm.They are wingless insects with medium length antennae. Colours are various shades of dull green or brown, sometimes with darker mottling. In adult females the inside base of the forelegs are bright red. The thorax has a number of small tubercles (knobs).
Life Cycle and behaviour

The females of this species are ‘parthenogenetic’ which means that they lay unfertilized eggs that will hatch, so the rarity of the males is not a problem for breeding. They mature at around six months old.

At this stage they will begin to lay eggs which drop to the ground. The eggs are round, brown with a whitish yellow ‘door’ through which the baby insects emerge as fragile looking brown nymphs after about 3-5 months. These moult six times as they grow taking 4-7 months to mature; adults then live a further 4-6 months, laying several hundred eggs during their lifetime.

You can tell the eggs apart from droppings by their shape and colorings. Eggs are almost spherical in shape with the tiny whitish yellow door at one end, whilst the droppings are grayish brown, cylindrical and about 2-3mm long. To raise a new generation of insects keep some eggs in your habitat; they should hatch between 3-5 months after they were laid.
When disturbed, nymphs and adults may sway from side to side and may emit a non toxic fluid from the mouthparts. They may, however, simply drop to the ground. After all, this is the classic twig mimic, and they can remain motionless like this for hours on end.
Native Distribution

A native of India: Palni Hills, Shembagonor and Trichinopoly in Madura province, where this species is believed to reproduce bisexually, at least in part of its range. "Alien" introductions have been reported from the Cape Town area, South Africa, where they are common.  

This is guaranteed to keep the most active mind occupied.

Please note: The Stick Insect Kit does not contain live Insects but a certificate to redeem for the Lave   There is a £4.50 charge payable for the Insects to be sent to you from a UK Zoo.