Product Description

Mexican Jumping Beans

WARNING: THESE ARE NOT FOOD FOR PEOPLE OR ANIMALS

One plastic box with 5 live jumping beans

Each bean is picked by hand

These beans are imported directly from Mexico where they grow wild on a native shrub found in the desert. The bean is really a seed capsule containing a small moth larva. Each order is for one box of 5 beans and will arrive in a small plastic box. 

The little moth larvae (Laspeyresia saltitans) has hatched inside the bean; them trying to get to the seed's meat is what causes the bean to move on its own. They will also jump when warmed by your hands or put in a warm spot. Eventually, they will form a cocoon inside of the bean and go dormant. Only a small percentage will survive pupation and emerge as a tiny moth. The moth that emerges only lives a few days, and is harmless to clothing, plants, etc. They are very specific to needing another moth to breed with and then having the seeds of the Mexican Sebastiana plant to lay eggs on.

 The Mexican jumping bean comes from the mountains in the states of Sonora, Sinaloa, and Chihuahua. Álamos, Sonora, calls itself the "Jumping Bean Capital of the World". They can be found in an area approximately 30 by 100 miles where the Sebastiana pavoniana host tree grows. During the spring, moths emerge from last year's beans and deposit their eggs on the flower of the host tree.

Care and Storage:

To keep them lively as long as possible, they must be able to continue eating from inside of the bean and also receive moisture.

Once weekly, spray the beans (actually seeds) with water to give the worm inside a drink. Let the water soak into the bean, then dry your beans with a paper towel before placing back in their case.

If they are kept in a dark, cool place they will stay alive the longest, and can be safely stored in your fridge and will go dormant for up to a year.