Q&A for How to Catch a Firefly

They glow on their own, but you could catch them in a jar or in your hands and watch them glow.

Because they're suffocating, starving and thirsty. You should add flowers, drops of water, and tiny air holes in their home.

Light production in fireflies is due to a type of chemical reaction called bioluminescence. This process occurs in specialized light-emitting organs, usually on a firefly's lower abdomen. The enzyme luciferase acts on the luciferin, in the presence of magnesium ions, ATP, and oxygen to produce light.

Yes, as with all other living things, fireflies need to breathe. The breathing holes must be small enough so that the firefly cannot escape.

First, be sure you are in an area where fireflies can be found. If they do live in your area, it simply means there aren't any out at that time.

It won't hurt them, unless you hurt them catching them, or putting on the lid. Don't keep them in there for more than a few hours, because they will die.

You could try a butterfly net, or sit quietly and wait for them to come down.

Minimize grass cutting, and keep pesticides to a minimum. This will mimic their usual natural habitat, like an open field, and the fireflies will feel more comfortable.

It depends on where you live. Search up if fireflies live in your area. Fireflies like warm areas so they appear most often in the summer and late spring.

No, this is not possible. They will die quickly, as they have a relatively short life cycle. You'd also need to feed them and ensure they weren't held in something that lacked oxygen.

Fireflies live in a wide variety of habitats, although many of these tend to have one particular feature in common: moisture. They can be found in wetlands, swamps, riparian areas, abandoned fields, forests, chaparral, and scrublands.

They typically appear between late May and mid-June. Watch them from dusk until about 11 PM.

Don't keep them in a jar for more than two or three days. Fireflies live only a few days or weeks, and we need them outside to mate. Unlike some other insects, fireflies are no bother to us humans.

Because they have a complex life cycle, raising fireflies is very difficult. To get from egg to adult, you will need to provide conditions that promote survival not just for the eggs but also the larval and pupal stages.