help with shipping ooths please!

[ethanblaze1017]

Hi! I was recently contacted by a friend (she's an educational instructed who goes around to elementary schools and shows off insects to get children interested in entomology). She told me that she had paired up a few of her Polyspilota griffinii Mantids and had received three ooths that she's changed her mind on hatching for herself.so she's going to send them to me. She's never sold any insects through shipping before, and I want to make sure the ooths arrive safely. Could someone please write some guidelines below about how to safely ship ooths? It would be extremely helpful.

Thank you-

Ethan

 

[CosbyArt]

Not much to it. The ooths I've gotten have been sent priority mail in a box.

Inside the ooths are typically in 2 oz containers with lids, depending on ooth size. Once I received two ooths that were in a clear plastic bottle filled with cotton batting. Other than that the boxes are filled with bubble wrap/newspaper with the ooths placed in the middle and shipped out.

The quick trip doesn't hurt them, but if they are coming from outside the US then more should be done to prevent them from drying out/temperature/etc.

 

[ethanblaze1017]

I too have received ooths the same way. But they have always been glued to the lid, and shipped with moist paper towels in the bottom. Is it a requirement that ooths be glued during shipping? Or will the bouncing and everything from the trip not hurt them?

 

[CosbyArt]

I too have received ooths the same way. But they have always been glued to the lid, and shipped with moist paper towels in the bottom. Is it a requirement that ooths be glued during shipping? Or will the bouncing and everything from the trip not hurt them?

I haven't had any glued myself. The bouncing could, and is why they are fit tightly in a small souffle cups or filled with cotton batting (or paper towel works too).

The moist paper towel is to ensure they do not dry out (as that will cause them to go bad). For ooths the tried and true method is, "put a drop of water inside the container and if it evaporates in 2 to 3 days add another. If the water drop is still there remove it."

The most common advice regarding ooths though is not to worry about them and let nature take it's course and you will have better results than "playing" with it. All six ooths I have had shipped from other members have never had moisture of any kind in them though (and two hatched within 8 days of me getting them).

 

[Rick]

No reason to glue them to anything. You can wrap them in something to pad them and stick them in a box. Or you can place them into a secondary container such as a vial, tupperware, etc. Ooths are very easy to mail.