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| . | Do you find this site helpful? Fruit Flies More about: Why Live Foods
© 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, J.Atchison |
We treat each shipment with a great deal of care. We pack fish in insulated boxes with insulation to pad the bags of fish. Even the lowly worms are packed well. We use heatpaks, coolpaks and "Bag Buddies" when appropriate. We double bag the fish. We watch the weather and ship only when there is a good chance of making the trek...but still "stuff" happens. No matter what we do on this end to try to insure that the package of live cultures or fish will arrive at your location in not simply a live state but ready to thrive...no matter what we do, "stuff" will happen. The box will be left in the sun...worse in the metal mail box in the sun. The package might be left in the abandoned car next door to be found several weeks later. The crazy lady next door might receive the box and return to the TV...forgetting the box...forever. The doorstep in a snowstorm is also not a good place for the cultures to sit. Of course the box might arrive the day after you took that short trip (of a month) which you forgot to tell us about...these things can happen (and did). If there can be a problem with the delivery...please plan for it. If you are not sure that the conditions will insure these critters' survival, make other arrangements. Maybe you can talk your neighbor into accepting the package and check in with him or her when you expect the package...general delivery at the post office is a good option...perhaps your place of work. Let us know the best option. Of course you won't set the box in the direct sunlight or in a place that is extremely hot or cold. You won't forget about them and run an errand...and forget about the box in the car as you chat with a friend...think buggy...think fishy! If the box does not arrive on time...don’t panic! Email us and we'll help you track it down as best we can. When shipping fish or sensitive cultures, we highly recommend that you take our suggestion and use our FedEx Stardard Overnight or USPS Express Mail delivery options (we know that you will pay a few more dollars)...these packages can be traced...and the delivery success with over night options vastly improved over the ground services. We charge a $6.25 box fee when shipping fish or other critters that need an insulated box. You will be able to reuse the box many times. There are no charges for heat paks, cold paks or special documentation. Unless the weather is extremely severe we do not use insulated boxes for cultures. Another supplier of some live foods wrote on their web site: "Don't Be fooled by competitors who advertise lower prices, but then stick in hidden winter packing and shipping costs. The prices you see here are what you pay!" We don't include shipping in our prices for a very good reason. Two starter cultures ship for less that twice the cost of one. If we included shipping you would actually end up paying more. Shipping on a single "starter culture" is $3.95. The culture is $5.00. The other supplier charges $9.50 including shipping for a single culture...two would be $19.00. Our two cultures with shipping would be $17.25 and three is $22.50 where their's would be $28.50. If you need a quote or an estimate on the shipping charges, feel free to email us regarding the costs. Be sure to include the country and the postal code of the "ship to" address. We can not guarantee packages sent using ground services. We do not quarantee live arrival for International shipments. When you do receive the box of cultures, you will be receiving several pieces of documentation...instructions of course and the following two... Don’t Panic! There is a chance that the culture you are holding in your hands looks ruined! That does not mean it’s not going to survive. The mailing process shakes up the cultures pretty good. Sometimes the shipping process kills most of the flies. It’s the maggots and pupae left in the fruit fly culture medium that are the important part of the shipment. Microworm cultures can look like a bowl of mush in the hands of a happy two year old but the microworms are still in the mix. Let the culture relax for a day or so and you will see the worms or maggots crawling on the surface of the medium or along the sides of the culture container. Worm cultures will need to be fed immediately. They are used to being fed each or every other day and have not been fed since the morning they were shipped. The shipping time will not usually have an effect on the culture as much as extreme heat and cold along the route. Of course you won’t set them in the direct sunlight or in a place that is extremely hot or cold. The lid needs to be removed from the
screw topped cultures so that a little air can be exchanged and subculture as soon as you
can. Gently set the lid on top of the container to
keep out flies but remember that the lid is not screwed on...it's not fun to spill these
cultures onto the floor of your home (been there). You will find detailed instructions regarding the care, feeding and culturing of the particular organism which you have ordered. Some of the basic care suggestions will always be the same. The first hint is to take care of these critters right away. Read the enclosed suggestions and instructions. Don’t wait until tomorrow...do it now. You will have a much better chance of success if the culture is taken out of the shipping container, acclimated to your temperature and environment and put in their new medium with food. Like fish, these little critters get quite a bit of rough handling along the shipping route. They need to be taken care of. With just a little bit of care they should be able to survive, thrive and give you and your fish years of fresh food. "We grow food not bait"
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