Observing the life cycle of the meal worm is a great "hands-on" family science project. From laid egg to beetle can take as many as 12 weeks. In this time you'll observe an incredibly tiny worm change into a strange alien-like pupae, and finally emerge as a black flightless beetle to start the cycle over again. Our kit includes all you need to get started INCLUDING several meal worm larvae. For a great lesson plan on mealworms check out this site: http://www.uen.org/utahlink/activities/view_activity.cgi?activity_id=3022 The kit is only $9.99 (priority shipping is FREE!!) For more information on this kit e-mail me through my profile.