Sonoran Desert

Try This

Tiger Beetle Terrarium

What it does

This experiment lets you make a home for tiger beetles.

What you need

• butterfly net
• small terrarium or other clear-sided container
• sand
• real or fake plants
• heating lamp (optional)
• small insects for food

What to do

1. Set up your terrarium by filling the bottom with at least 5 centimeters of sand. Try not to get any gravel in with the sand.
2. Add a few plants for shade. If you use live plants, be sure to water them regularly.
3. Keep a small area of the sand damp to provide water for the beetles.
4. Place the terrarium in a warm place (at least 19 degrees Celcius, or 66 degrees Fahrenheit). Use a heating lamp if necessary.
5. Now go out and get some beetles! Use the butterfly net to catch them. Catching tiger beetles can be quite a challenge. See Terrible Tigers of the Desert for more information about where and when to find these insects.
6. Tiger beetles eat other insects. Feed them live insects if the insects are smaller than the tiger beetles (Ants make a good choice). You can feed them crickets but you must kill or paralyze the crickets before putting them in the terrarium. Remove any remains that the beetles leave behind.

Remember, be sure you have a parent, teacher, or other adult help you!

Tiger beetles are the beauty queens of the insect world. They're also ferocious hunters.
Read about it.