The Bottom Line
- Wonderful way to teach kids about earthworms and living creatures
- Truly "green" themed toy
- Can reuse habitat - refill is available for $12.99
- You have to like earthworms!
- Have to pay for the cocoons separately ($4) if ordering it via coupon
- Cocoons have to be cared for properly to avoid drying out
- Have to watch the outside temperature - cannot leave it outdoors
- Soil and water may start to smell after a while
Description
- The Earthworm Nursery from Insect Lore allows you to grow and observe earthworms
- The entire hatching process should take a few weeks although you can enjoy your earthworms for upto 3 months
- You have to remember to release your earthworms into warm climates - so plan ahead before buying
- The Earthworm Nursery retails for $24.99
- You can get the nursery with live cocoons or opt for a coupon to be used at a later date
- You have to pay $4 for shipping if you order the option of an earthworm nursery with a coupon
Guide Review - Insect Lore Earthworm Nursery
They arrive enclosed in a wet covering in a ziplock bag. There's also soil and earthworm food included. Once you have received the live cocoons, you have to move fast to avoid your cocoons from drying out. Then, prepare the habitat by wetting and laying out the soil into the Earthworm Nursery.
Once this is done, place sufficient water into your hatching chamber to cover the cocoons. This is important to avoid them from drying out. Move your baby cocoons into the water one by one. You have to remember to replenish the water everday.
Then comes the waiting game. If you're lucky, your cocoons may hatch right away. One of ours hatched in the zip lock bag itself! It was kinda cute to see a baby earthworm. Seriously.
Temperature is important. You have to keep the earthworms warm - 72 to 75 degrees is what Insect Lore recommends. That means - no outdoors, no direct sunlight and this will probably work better in the summer.
Most of our worms hatched and became real live earthworms. We transferred them to our garden when they were ready. It was a great feeling to observe this entire process over a couple of weeks. But, you do have to be consistent and make sure that you water your cocoons, feed the live worms as well as change the water/soil when required. Otherwise, you may land up with a smelly Earthworm Nursery.
The Earthworm nursery was quite an experience. If your kids are nature oriented, you may want to check out the Earthworm Nursery from Insect Lore out.
