Mexican jumping bean

You can buy a Mexican Jumping Bean from here



Mexican Jumping Beans are a phenomenon native to Mexico where they are known as brincadores. Physically, they resemble small tan or brown beans. They are a type of seed in which the egg of a small moth has been laid. It is the moth's larva which makes them 'jump'. The beans themselves are from a shrub of the genus Sebastiania (S. palmeri or S. pavoniana), while the moth is of the species Cydia deshaisiana. After the egg has hatched, the larva eats away the inside of the bean, making a hollow for itself. It attaches itself to the bean with many silk threads.



The larva may live for months inside the bean with varying periods of dormancy. If the larva has adequate conditions such as moisture, it will live long enough to go into a pupal stage. Normally in the spring, the moth will force its way out of the bean through a round "trap door", leaving behind the pupal casing. The small, silver and gray-colored moth will live for only a few days.