cold weather shipping

[sammer021486]

At what temperatures is it just too cold to ship mealworms and superworms?

Right now the temperatures are around -30C or -22F at my location and it takes about 4 days max for delivery, depending on Canada Post to get my shipment here. Should only take 2 days, but Canada Post I have had it where the truck was late to the transfer point and my order had to sit for a full day because the truck it should of been on was already gone from the transfer point.

I was wondering if I paid for the extra protection of an insulated box and maybe an extra heat pack if the worms could make it here.

Depending on whom I buy from I am looking at about $100-117 for my order and no guarantee of live arrival, due to the weather temperature. That is for 5000 mealies and 1000 supers shipped to my location.

Now if I purchase from my petstore the same amount I am looking at close to $200+ but the guarantee that they will live.

 

[macksnow82]

DAM that is FREZING its like 20 were im at rite now

 

[T-ReXx]

Well, I just got a shipment of mealworms last week and it's around 12F night lows around here, they arrived in 2 days with no insulation other than a little newspaper and the shipment was 100% alive. Mealworms go dormant in low temps and can survive them pretty well, I'd say if they're insulated with a heat pack you most likely wouldn't have problems.

 

[Redleg]

What about asking leaving the shipment (worms....or any live feeder) at the Post Office? I have ordered Live food in past with temps well BELOW -20 F and -20C. The Post Office here in Fairbanks, AK keeps them and alls me for pick up so that the shipment is not exposed to extreme cold.

 

[B.appel13]

with the heat pack your will be fine. As T-Rexx said mealworms shut down in cold temps they will do fine...the supers have the potential for a few deaths as they like warm temps but with the insulated box and heat pack they should make it just fine.

 

[sammer021486]

What I may do is get the worms shipped to the city near me and I will just pick them up from there. Should only take 2 days shipping because its not being shipped to a rural area and thus is generally faster in the shipping process.

I am not too worried about losing a couple of worms in the process, I just do not want to open the package and have a large percentage of DOAs.

My last order was for 1000 mealies and 250 supers back on Nov 15 and I am just now starting to run low on mealies and have around 100 supers left. A good portion of the mealies are turning to beetles so hopefully I will have a good supply started in a few months to sustain my demand.

 

[STUTFL]

At a little under 30F with "winter pack" all my supers seem to have gotten here fine but they were COLD, took them all night to "thaw out." They arrived at night, and I honestly think a lot wouldn't have made it a day or two later, with the low temps from -12 to -19F. The butterworms were crawling around like nothing was amiss, though, and mealies are pretty indestructible so long as you don't get them wet. :laugh:

And I can't decide whether to be amused or depressed that right now it's apparently not a whole lot warmer here than it is in Fairbanks or Ontario. :tongue3:

 

[sammer021486]

So I checked the temperature forecast and next week the temps should be -10C (14F) or higher. If I ship next tuesday and hit the higher temperatures and have the worms placed in an insulated box with hopefully a 72 hour heat pack the worms should arrive all in good health, maybe just a bit slow.

I can get Priority mail which Guarantees 2 day delivery.

 

[STUTFL]

Aaaaaaand, it's officially warmer in Canada.

Good luck with the worms - and keep an eye out for them all the time, mine came half an hour after UPS was supposed to stop delivering for the day.

 

[sammer021486]

I can have the supplier set the package for pick up from the post office so there will always be someone there and also kept warm at room temps.

 

[STUTFL]

Sounds like it should work out, then.

 

[sammer021486]

Contacted the feeder supplier and he said that they have been shipping supers as cold as -20C, so I ordered some and lucked out. The week they were sent the weather was above 0C the day of their arrival it was 5C. All 6000 worms were healthy and lively.