Review Time
I’ve been following and purchasing from Bugs & Butterflies for a couple years now. I’ve purchased eggs, cocoons and caterpillars and all have been a great learning experience for myself & my young daughter. Mother Nature is such a wonderful thing and seeing the beautiful butterflies and moths that emerge is a real pleasure. With a little bit of patience and the right environment, anyone can enjoy these wonderful creatures.
I have bought two batches of moth eggs from this company this year and have two batches of cocoons on the way. My experience of all of my orders has been perfectly satisfactory, they have even provided me with extras and refunds when there have been minor issues without any hassle. Details on each order at the bottom of the review.I have found this company very reliable and affordable for the service they provide. Having read through some of the negative reviews I am concerned that some customers dont seem to understand that they are purchasing live animals that are being transported though the postal service for their convenience. Of course there will be uncertainty with delivery dates and they may experience damage but the company do their best to remedy any issues you encounter so long as you let them know!Details of orders:1st Order: I bought 10 Gynanisa Maja eggs and they arrived 2 days after my purchase. I received around 14 newly hatched (1st instar) caterpillars along with a portion of host plant and they all seemed healthy and thriving. Unfortunately, the caterpillars did not take to my host plant (from my garden) and as these were the first caterpillars i ever tried to raise i didnt notice the signs they were starving until it was too late and I killed them all after about a week or two 🥲2nd order: I bought 10 Rothschildia Lebeau eggs and I recieved about 11 unhatched eggs. They all looked fairly healthy maybe a bit dehydrated from travel but after a few days I recieved an email to let me know that unfortunately this batch of eggs had been having a poor hatching rate and I received a full refund as store credit which I was very happy to use to try again lol. I did get lucky and one of my eggs from this batch hatched which I was very pleased with! My one surviving caterpillar was doing well until I had to leave it for the weekend under the care of my family and I think it dried out and sadly died.I had contacted customer support before purchasing to make sure these caterpillars would accept my host plant and they replied after a few days guidance3rd order: I pre-ordered 2 Aticas Luna cocoons (I decided I needed to try something easier than the very fragile baby caterpillars). They were pre-ordered for summer/spring of 2026 in the black friday sale but the team let me know that they had some of these cocoons coming in this month and asked if I would like them early which I said yes to! They are due to arrive soon (I will post an update when they arrive).4th order: I purchased 2 Argema mimosae cocoons as a gift for a friend. Prior to my purchase I had contacted customer service twice, first asking what kind of moths I should aim to buy as a novice who has not had much success with my previous eggs, to which they let me know cocoons would be best to buy and a few species that would be best as well. After this response I did some research and decided on Argema mimosae and I emailed them again to double check that this order is likely to be successful as a gift for my friend on her birthday (21st Dec) they contacted me after I made my order to let me know that the Argema mimosae may not arrive by the date I need but that they are happy to substitute with another species that will be ready if thats what I would prefer, to which I said yes that would be my preference. I made the order for the Argema mimosae on the 7th of Dec and they dispatched my order a week later on the 15th. They let me know they replaced my mimosae with a similar priced alternative species like I requested (and they made it an impressive looking one (Attacus Lorquinii) which I also asked for lol) and they included an extra cocoon for free for the trouble! In summary: Amazing customer service. Replies can understandably take a little bit of time (a couple of day). Live creatures are fragile but the company are very helpful when things go wrong.
I was aware that there would be some delay depending on seasonality, it took 4 months for the eggs to arrive - it would have been even better if there could be approximate arrival times so that food/plants could be bought in preparation. Out of 12 eggs, 10 hatched & 5 caterpillars have made it to maturity - which is pretty average in our experience. These caterpillars have thrived and my daughter absolutely loves them. They’re fascinating although just to warn you, you need a lot of food 🤣. Andrew has kept in touch with us all the way through & seems more than happy to offer advice. Glad we persevered with the wait.
The people at Bugs and Butterflies care about their customers, and also their tiny animals. They keep customers up to date with orders which may take their time because animals are not predictable, and keep in touch to ensure you are enjoying keeping tiny livestock, and doing it well and with confidence. I am currently raising Atlas Moths who are very impressive larvae.Their catalogue is very tempting mind you, and I have to fight myself not to buy animals I am not set up to keep.
Fantastic service from B&B! Our Atlas moth larvae which we hatched from eggs are furiously chomping their way through local Privet supplies, much to the amusement of our children. Will be ordering some Hawkmoth or other native species as stock dictates in the new year. A great resource to have available in the hobby with very reasonable prices.Thank you again!
Shocking customer service. Does not reply. My order took months to come, I understand that it is subject to season, breeding etc, however what I don’t understand is the total lack of customer service. I ordered peacock butterfly pupae and they all arrived DEAD. No point in emailing them, as they are too busy taking other people’s money. STAY AWAY PLEASE, YOU WILL LOSE YOUR MONEY. I have reported this company multiple times with no avail. The absolute nerve you guys have.
Claim your business profile now and gain access to all features and respond to customer reviews.
Supplier of entomological & aquatic livestock based in the UK.
www.jacobijayne.com
dapperhorse.com
grishastewart.com
petedge.com
baxterspetshop.com
chondropaw.com
gardenwildlifedirect.co.uk
borkavifood.com
myospet.com
ultimatebarkcontrol.com
