Sternocera acquisignata

Jewel Beetle

This species is prevalent in Asia specifically Thailand and India. They are also commonly used as a food source in Thailand, which is leading to their decline. The insects wings are used in the jewelry sold by our shop.

Lycorma deliculata

Spotted Lanternfly

The spotted lanternfly is an invasive species that came from Asia. It first established in New Jersey in 2018 and has taken over the entire state. The spotted lanternfly can feed on more than 70 plant species including cultivated and wild grape, fruit trees, and hardwood trees common in woodlots and as landscape plantings. During feeding, they excrete significant amounts of honey dew (or sugar water). Honey dew deposits provide a food source for a sooty mold fungus that can grow on plant surfaces and fruit leading to reduced photosynthesis and plant vigor. It is our personal mission to reduce the number of lanternflies in this state with our jewelry. Keep an eye on our counter of how many we have killed for our goods!

Dermestes maculatus

Flesh Eating Beetle

The flesh eating beetle is a species found all over the world and is a forensically important species. These species do just what you would expect and they feed on the tissue of deceased animals. Not to worry they do not feed on live tissue! They are super cute and their larvae are fuzzy! These are Stephanie's research species and specialty. She has done quite a bit of research with them including diet studies, and numerous studies looking at the effects of drugs like Fentanyl on them. You can find more information about her research in the About us section.

Magicicada Species

Brood X Cicadas

This genus of cicadas is part of the Brood X that emerged along the east coast in 2021. All of the insects used in the jewelry were caught from Princeton NJ where one of the biggest clutches emerged. The next emergence of these cicadas will not be until 2038!

These noisy insects are completely harmless and are just loud. They emerge from the soil and lay eggs in the trees. Once those eggs hatch they make their way back underground for 17 years.

Apis mellifera

Honey bees

We have a wonderful connection with a local bee keeper from Rutgers University that is the source of our bees! We do not want to remove them from the environment ourselves so we are able to get bees through her. In order to prevent Colony Collapse Disorder, beekeepers need to check for mites in their colony. Unfortunately, in order to do this they do need to cull some of their colony. This is a benefit to us though because we are able to take these amazing insects a preserve them for all the bee lovers out there!