Mexican Jumping Beans
Mexican jumping beans are also known called frijoles saltarines in Spanish. It is not a bean at all. It is produced by a shrub, Sebastiana pavoniana. It can be found on desert slopes in Sonora and Chihuahua in Mexico. They are seed pods inhabited by the larvae of Cydia deshaisiana, a small moth. They are commonly sold in novelty shops. When we heat them, they jump because the larvae move inside the shell.
Fast Facts: –
- These beans should be stored in a dry, cool place because leaving them in a heated environment can kill the larvae.
- If you will cut the stem of the shrub, Sebastiana pavoniana then it will produce a poisonous milky sap.
- Leaves of this shrub have a shiny green colour and generally turn in to a bright red in winters.
- These beans are not toxic but not eaten by humans.
- The larvae eat the contents of capsule and make their way to the outer shell. Then they forcibly throw themselves from one wall of the shell to another.
- If you will place the bean near your ear and hear a rattle sound that could mean two things, either the larva is dying or it has entered in the pupal stage.
- These beans stop jumping after about 3 months because after 3 months the larva grows in to pupa.
- The adult moth takes about 6 months to come outside the bean completely.
- Generally cats and dogs feed on these jumping beans.
- Mexican Jumping Beans are sold seasonally from July to September.