Doodle Bugs (Ant Lions) Duluxe

Each Kit Includes - A small tank with lid, desert sand, 3 Doodle Bugs, tweezers, and an easy to follow care manual.

1. Preparing the Doodle Bug’s Habitat

Doodle bugs don't need an elaborate set-up. If you are making your own habitat, just make sure your sand is about 7 cm or 3 inches deep. For optimal placement, make sure each Doodle Bug has about 5 cm or 2 square inches of space. Unlike other sellers, we do not recommend the use of sugar for sanitary reasons and for safety of your insects in case of accidental fluid spills or high humidity. We also recommend introduced hydration of the habitat to ensure your new pets stay happy and healthy.

2. Open your Doodle Bug Pouches

Carefully open the pouches. Inside the pouches you the will find your Doodle Bugs in sand. You are more than welcome to put them in the palm of you hand. They will not bite, but will try to scurry to find a place to hide, so be careful you don’t drop them.

3. When you are ready

Carefully place the Doodle Bugs into their new home. You might want to make sure they are spread out evenly.

    * Tip: If your Doodle Bugs are motionless, they may just be playing dead. Blowing on them usually gets them going again.

4. Watch as your new pets

See how they scurry about and learn first hand why they are called Doodle Bugs.  If your Doodle Bugs don't immediately start making their pits, don't worry. Just give them time get settled in. They may not even make a pit for a few days.

5. Feed them every day or two

First count the number of pits you see and drop in the same number of ants into the habitat. Then watch the show. (You may need to help guide the ant back if it attempts to escape.) If you don't have time to watch, then you can always drop the ant directly into the pit and the Doodle Bug shouldn't have any problems taking care of the rest for you. If you have fewer pits than you did previously wait a couple more days. If it does not reappear, you may be a lucky owner who has a cocoon which will soon hatch into an adult within the next month or so.

    * Tip: If you don't have ants don't worry, you can use other small insects you catch outside the home (no spiders or wasps please), or you can always purchase very small crickets "pinheads", or flightless fruit flies from a pet shop or on the Internet.

One customer recently wrote to tell me he found a really easy way to collect ants even in winter, all you do is place some dried pieces of fruit out and about the back yard and with in a day it is covered with ants which can then pick up and place in the doodle bug container.

To simulate rain, every week or so lightly mist their sand with water. (A clean spray bottle is best for this and if possible use bottled  or de-chlorinated water.)

It's just that easy!

Remember that the Doodle Bugs you will get are in their larval stage. At some point, they will cocoon themselves in the sand and emerge about a month later as a winged adult Doodle Bug (Lacewing). If you wish to keep the adult, cover the habitat and carefully put a stick or twig in the sand for the emerging adult to perch on. Adult Doodle bugs eat Nectar and pollen, but you can use sugar water as a substitute.

Tip: Some of the best sugar water recipes are can be easily found on the Internet or purchased at most stores with hummingbird or butterfly feeders.

Now, go all out! Go wild!!!  They are your pets!

Now that you have them, your Doodle Bugs can even be a piece of art. Go all out and use colored sand. (Play ground safe sand of course.) Make a Zen Garden with Rocks or even a little Bonsai Garden with a sand area for your little Doodle Bugs. Place layers of colored sand and watch the colors appear as your Doodle Bug digs his way down. There are just so many possibilities. If you think we missed one, feel free to Join the forums and tell us what. We love to hear from you. How will we be able to make you happy if we don't know what you like?

If you have additional questions or concerns, feel free to contact us.