F.A.Q.

We’ve structured this as a membership subscription service for several reasons:

1. We want folks to think of this as a practice of intentional stewardship, not ownership. You’re becoming a member of the Beetle Buddies citizen science program, volunteering your time to care for and learn about the beetles. When stewards have concluded their practice, they return the beetle and art enclosure, keeping them out of the waste stream and going another learner.

NOTE: if we discover that you are not taking good care of the beetles, you must return the whole kit!

2. Our team will provide ongoing support for beetle care and replacement as well as art enclosure maintenance and repair. Since these species of desert beetles are mostly wild caught, we never know their ages and they might die of old age at any time!

3. As a monthly subscription, we can bring down the upfront price for young people or folks who can’t afford the labor cost that goes into hand-making these art enclosures.

4. As this is part of a citizen science and education initiative, so we want to keep track of who’s actively keeping the beetles, what they may be learning through regular observation, and how it’s improving their lives. We also plan to provide opportunities to upgrade your enclosure or trade it in for new models!

To join our Beetle Buddy Box Stewardship program, it’s $11 per month!

Absolutely! However, we must verify that they can be good stewards of the beetles in order to keep any Beetle Buddies.

First, check out our official Beetle Buddies care sheet to familiarize yourself with the basics, then go ahead and email Khepri@earthlings.nyc with your Beetle Buddy Box request to get started!