My Business

[packer43064]

Hi everyone, I've been wanting to do this for awhile now. Been researching like crazy for a goof half a year now. I've always wanted to open a insect feeder business. I love raising and breeding insects. I will be selling fruit flies, springtails, isopods, mealworms, superworms, different roaches, and alot of different other insects. I can't wait until I have racks and racks filled with feeders. It'll be quite a sight to see. Right now I just have one rack with the FF's and mealworms breeding. I'll be getting my tax return soon(e-filed it last night) and will buy alot of insect and supplies for them along with shipping supplies.

Right now I have wingless mels, flightless mels, turkish gliders, curly wing, and hydei FF's. Will be getting golden delicious hydei, buzatti FF's, 6 different kinds of spring tails, several isopods (pill bugs), some roaches when my income tax gets into my bank account. Will have to learn how to keep house flies and Blue Bottles too. Will also need 4-5 bakers racks easily with all of the bugs.

Me and my GF thought of a name for a website to sell the feeders on. We came up with Bugwarehouse.com You can go to it now, but it just says "coming soon" with a pic of some mealworms. She has a graphics design degree so she will be making all of it by herself. It'll be good experience for her and she can showcase it if she was trying to find a job. I will just sell in the classifieds on here and the other site I visit until it is up.

I also want to sell "pet" bugs too. Mantids, some spiders, things like that. I'm still waiting for my first ooth to hatch though, so will research alot until that even happens.

I will update this periodically when things happen. I'll take some pics tommorow on how the "bug" room as is right now. I'm excited for our new website! Also excited to finally get things going!

Here's the original thread I made on a dart frog site I frequent daily.

Breeding FF's for Profit

Here are some of the prices on the FF's when I get the shipping supplies to ship them out. Their not for sale now. I think these are fair prices.

personally.

Cultures(any kind that I have)

1-3:$5

4-9:$4.50

10+:$4.00

32 oz. FF cups w/lid are .37 cents each

Mixed cultures(Hydei w/select another FF I have)

1-3:$5.50

4-9:$5.00

10+:$4.50

Just Flies

3 bucks for 100 of any kind

Small FF Kit-$12

1 FF culture (choose any kind)

5 FF cups w/lid

3 cups of media (1/2 cup per FF cup, can even use less which means better value for you)

excelsior or coffee filters (you choose) for 5 FF cups

active yeast

instructions on "How to make a FF culture"

Large Kit-$25

3 FF cultures (choose any kind)

20 FF cups w/lid

12 cups of media

excelsior or coffee filters (you choose) for 20 FF cups

active yeast

instructions on "How to make a FF culture"

They would be shipped priority mail unless you want another way of shipping of course. I will cover half the cost of heat packs. I'm not making any profit on shipping and obviously not the heat packs. So if shipping if 6.00 then add half a heat pack price (.85 cents at the most) and it would be $6.85 for total shipping. Shipping will vary of course, but you get the idea.

Edit: One thing I want to try to do for the customers is try to have whatever insect feeder they need. I will always take suggestions on any feeders and try my hardest to breed them and get them to you.

 

[cuervo]

Alright sounds good congratulation on your new business and good luck :rockon:

 

[warpdrive]

Dear Jeff,

I wish you well on your venture.

you asked if there are any insects that people may want you to breed, so here is my small list.

waxworms...a good feeder in itself, yet the moths may be even better. I know my chameleons love the moths.

silkworms and hornworms...more for large reptiles, yet if you have the skills and the time to deal with silkies, then they can be sold as large ones to hope that some will turn into moths at the buyers home. heck, you can even sell the cacoons for cheap and I would buy some.

crickets...how is this not on your list? sure your into dart frogs and mantids, but no crickets? not even for mantids? you wont be a bug store with out them bro.

just do yourself a favore and keep them clean and fed a good diet of vegetables. carrots, sweetpotatos, and a good dry gutload containing lots of veg protein.

need some ideas on care for this? just PM me.

Harry

 

[more_rayne]

Sounds good! I'll need to buy some flies and lids.

There are already lots of cricket farms, may be difficult to try and compete with them.

 

[hibiscusmile]

:clap:

 

[packer43064]

Alright sounds good congratulation on your new business and good luck :rockon:

Thanks, appreciate it.

Dear Jeff,

I wish you well on your venture.

you asked if there are any insects that people may want you to breed, so here is my small list.

waxworms...a good feeder in itself, yet the moths may be even better. I know my chameleons love the moths.

silkworms and hornworms...more for large reptiles, yet if you have the skills and the time to deal with silkies, then they can be sold as large ones to hope that some will turn into moths at the buyers home. heck, you can even sell the cacoons for cheap and I would buy some.

crickets...how is this not on your list? sure your into dart frogs and mantids, but no crickets? not even for mantids? you wont be a bug store with out them bro.

just do yourself a favore and keep them clean and fed a good diet of vegetables. carrots, sweetpotatos, and a good dry gutload containing lots of veg protein.

need some ideas on care for this? just PM me.

Harry

First of all, thanks.

Those suggestions can be done. I did some research on them(briefly) besides the waxworms yet and it seems a little complicated, but can be done. I think I can do the silkworms, they just need extra warmth that the room that the bugs are in isn't already.

The hornworms don't seem that hard. I could make several breeding cages for the moths. They lay quite a bit of eggs in their short life spans. The only thing would be is it worth making the food vs. a selling price. Considering how many eggs a female hornworm moth can lay it seems feasible. I think making the food even though it isn't the cheapest of things is better than buying it.

I've bred crickets numerous times before. Only reason I didn't put it up there is because I wouldn't be able to even compete with these huge cricket farms that sell millions a year. I guess if your already at my site though, why not just buy these too. Their easy enough to breed, might as well sell those too.

I still need to look up waxworms though.

I need to think of a way to warm the room up though. Alot of the feeders I have will almost stop breeding or even die in room temp. during the winter. It gets maybe 70F at the most in this room with the heat on, usually a degree or two lower. It's perfectly fine for the FF's. Production is crazy, can't compare it to summer temps yet, but I'm not complaining at all. The mealworms are on flexwatt heat tape rigged up to a light dimmer. I can control the temps that way. It stays around 80F.

The racks will be baker racks. The metal ones with 4-6 shelves. I could either buy alot of the flexwatt heat tape and buy a thermostat and hook them up for the certain bugs(silkworms, roaches, etc.)

that would benefit/need the extra heat. Or I could buy a space heater or something like that and use that to get temps up. I think the flexwatt is more ideal considering I could up the temps to 90F or more for roaches, but take the temps down to 80F for the mealworms. Not everything needs the extra warmth. Obviously in the summer I won't need anything, maybe a few bugs if anything.

Again thanks for the suggestions. These insects look very fascinating to keep let alone breed and sell. I'll start from scratch and get some eggs of the hornworms and silkworms.

Sounds good! I'll need to buy some flies and lids.

There are already lots of cricket farms, may be difficult to try and compete with them.

Within a few weeks I should have the FF cultures for sale if everything goes right. I'm not rushing though, would rather do it right than wrong.

:clap:

Thanks!!

 

[packer43064]

I got some pics. Like I said I need more racks. Running out of room. I will be able to separate the FF's into 2 racks or so and start busting those out for sell. Their relatively cheap too. $35-45 bucks for a 3 foot one, I'd rather have 4 or 5 foot long ones though. I believe Home Depot has them. I just have some plastic ones now.

P.S. Thanks for moving this MODS. I wasn't sure where to even post this.

 

[geckoboy3]

Looks great! I can't wait!

About waxworms, they're SUPER easy... all you do is mix honey with bran until it doesn't stick to your hands but doesn't fall apart if you squeeze it into a ball. Then add waxworms and do nothing until they become moths, die, and you get more then you need.

 

[packer43064]

Looks great! I can't wait!

About waxworms, they're SUPER easy... all you do is mix honey with bran until it doesn't stick to your hands but doesn't fall apart if you squeeze it into a ball. Then add waxworms and do nothing until they become moths, die, and you get more then you need.

That seems easy enough,thanks.

 

[PhilinYuma]

Like everyone else, Jeff, I want to wish you the very best of luck with your venture. You will need more than good luck, though, to succeed. Most of the start ups that I help with are not in the U.S., but the same rules apply, so I'll ask some of the same sorts of questions that I'd ask of anyone planning such a venture.

Are you and/or your girl friend planning to make this a full time business? Will there be someone there all of the time during business hours? Your serious completion are. If I place an order with the Fruit Fly Shop, I get a "real' reply almost immediately and an Email answer to any questions I may ask. If I want HFs I call SpiderPharm on the phone to place my order. I have used "part timers" who are not prompt with their replies and, worse yet, don't deliver on time. There is so much competition in your field that a buyer is not likely to forgive more than one mistake.

Your breeding room must be capable of being maintained at 80F, if you plan on growing flies and roaches in quantity. Have you calculated the cost of the increase on your electric bill?

You will need to advertise. Are you going to set up and maintain your own site? Do you have any experience at this, or perhaps a friend who can lead you through the fairly elaborate setup (aside from your girl friend's graphics, that is!).? Again, have you calculated the start up and annual costs of such a site? Do you plan to advertise on the forums and elsewhere? Have you priced this yet?

I also wonder why you are offering six varieties of FFs and even more unusually, since many folks don't even know what they are, six types of springtail. Notice that professional FF vendors don't offer such a choice, and Peter, the only vendor who sell springtails in the U.S. only offers one kind.

You have given prices. Have you calculated the net profit that these prices will yield after accounting for feeding material, plant expenses and, if either of you is doing this instead of another job, a reasonable salary for yourself? Do you have a formal business plan? Who will keep you accounts?

I like the name of your business, but do you know your local laws about how to file an "assumed name" business? You might want to contact your local Better Business Bureau; they often offer a lot of help.

And finally, do you plan on giving away a free "mystery fruit fly" with every sale?

Good luck!

 

[DannyN]

A few insects that may help you stand out from the regulars in the insect selling market are:

milkweed bugs

isopods

cave crickets

fire brats

land snails

katydids

cabbage/painted lady butterflies

I have experience breeding/feeding all of these if you need help. The only thing Id be careful of is snails because not all of them are legal to sell across state lines.

 

[packer43064]

Like everyone else, Jeff, I want to wish you the very best of luck with your venture. You will need more than good luck, though, to succeed. Most of the start ups that I help with are not in the U.S., but the same rules apply, so I'll ask some of the same sorts of questions that I'd ask of anyone planning such a venture.

Are you and/or your girl friend planning to make this a full time business? Will there be someone there all of the time during business hours? Your serious completion are. If I place an order with the Fruit Fly Shop, I get a "real' reply almost immediately and an Email answer to any questions I may ask. If I want HFs I call SpiderPharm on the phone to place my order. I have used "part timers" who are not prompt with their replies and, worse yet, don't deliver on time. There is so much competition in your field that a buyer is not likely to forgive more than one mistake.

Your breeding room must be capable of being maintained at 80F, if you plan on growing flies and roaches in quantity. Have you calculated the cost of the increase on your electric bill?

You will need to advertise. Are you going to set up and maintain your own site? Do you have any experience at this, or perhaps a friend who can lead you through the fairly elaborate setup (aside from your girl friend's graphics, that is!).? Again, have you calculated the start up and annual costs of such a site? Do you plan to advertise on the forums and elsewhere? Have you priced this yet?

I also wonder why you are offering six varieties of FFs and even more unusually, since many folks don't even know what they are, six types of springtail. Notice that professional FF vendors don't offer such a choice, and Peter, the only vendor who sell springtails in the U.S. only offers one kind.

You have given prices. Have you calculated the net profit that these prices will yield after accounting for feeding material, plant expenses and, if either of you is doing this instead of another job, a reasonable salary for yourself? Do you have a formal business plan? Who will keep you accounts?

I like the name of your business, but do you know your local laws about how to file an "assumed name" business? You might want to contact your local Better Business Bureau; they often offer a lot of help.

And finally, do you plan on giving away a free "mystery fruit fly" with every sale?

Good luck!

This is by no means a way for me to quit my job. I made over 24k this year. I don't expect a fraction of that. I will not be quitting my job, or working less hours in any way. I am finishing college though(went 2 years) once the GF finds herself a new job in Iowa. Otherwise I won't be working any less hours. There would be the usual automation reply (email) if someone ordered on the site. There would be no toll free phone numbers or anything like that. If someone bought an item online they would get this automation email/confirmation. This is America of course so we of course have 4 breaks at work( ), my cell works perfectly fine for answering emails. If the buyer needed a talking too my number would be given.

This is something I would be doing when I am not at work obviously. I breed and raise insects....customers buy the extra's. It's simple and as complicated as that.

I've thought about heating and was thinking of flexwatt heat tape. I know how much each tape width uses (watts),just need to figure out how much it would cost to use and etc. Versus heating the whole room. Not every insect needs 80F or some need even more. Alot of leopard gecko or other reptile breeders use the flexwatt so I'm not that crazy. That is a good question though. The FF's don't need any warmth though. It is 70F in the bug room right now and their producing like crazy, I'm sure it is better with higher temps, but I'm not complaining. This area will need looked through again though. I'm not sure what I'm exactly going to do here.

The reason I'm offering more FF and springtail varieties is just for that reason alone ....variety. This would go back to the dart frog site I frequent. They love to buy different FF's and springtail varieties along with the isopods. Have to please the customers right? All of the feeders I have listed won't be started at the same time and will have to be looked at over and over to find the right way to keep them and house them correctly with conserving space in this single room. All in all it's not a full time adventure, just doing something I like to do. I will try my hardest, there's not enough people trying to open a business (yes it is small) in the U.S. anyways.

Profit margins have been thought out for the FF cultures, that's why they have prices so far. Advertising would be on faunaclassifieds with a post here and there and just posting in classifieds on forums I frequent. The site won't be up for awhile so selling on these forums is key and paramount to any sucess for my small business adventure which should have been said awhile ago. With experience and knowledge about doing this, I can expand on small things like a better way to get ahold of me or a better FF recipe that works and even smells great!

We will look into the BBB and see what is deemed to be a business and go from there. Good question though.

With everything being said and I'm sure I may have skipped a question or two, but I'm still just as ready to try this and get things going. Sucess won't come overnight or even in months really, but I'll try to achieve the American Dream! Now I'm going too far, lol. These questions needed asked, thanks. I have no reason to hide from who I am and how I plan to run things. Hopefully within a few years I will look at this, and think I was a fool answering these basic questions like these without fuller logic of everything.

Thanks, Phil. Jeff

P.S. Maybe a Mystery Springtail culure too!!

 

[geckoboy3]

A few insects that may help you stand out from the regulars in the insect selling market are:

milkweed bugs

isopods

cave crickets

fire brats

land snails

katydids

cabbage/painted lady butterflies

I have experience breeding/feeding all of these if you need help. The only thing Id be careful of is snails because not all of them are legal to sell across state lines.

+1

cabbage/painted lady butterflies? You can't sell them for profit unless you own alot of land

 

[DannyN]

+1

cabbage/painted lady butterflies? You can't sell them for profit unless you own alot of land

A friend of mine does. It does take a lot of devotion though so I agree.

 

[packer43064]

A few insects that may help you stand out from the regulars in the insect selling market are:

milkweed bugs

isopods

cave crickets

fire brats

land snails

katydids

cabbage/painted lady butterflies

I have experience breeding/feeding all of these if you need help. The only thing Id be careful of is snails because not all of them are legal to sell across state lines.

Good ideas. Thanks.

 

[twolfe]

KSTBCR, what eats milkweed bugs? I have mantids, tree frogs and a turtle. I had hundreds of those bugs on my milkweed plants last summer. They looked similar to box elder box, and I assumed they weren't very tasty as nothing seemed to be eating them.

Jeff, good luck with your business. I would love another source for waxworms. In case it wasn't previously mentioned, be careful with your mealworm cultures. I've been raising mealworms for 5 years and have about 6 large tubs and a small refrigerator for my bugs. When the bluebirds arrive in the spring, I end up buying 20,000 every 3 - 4 weeks to feed the birds. I considered expanding my cultures to save money this year. But I'm allergic to to the mealworm frass (I think). I'm OK working with a new culture but start sniffling and sneezing when working with old ones. Anyway, I researched this and discovered that a lot of people develop respiratory issues and it's not recommended raising them in the house you live in. So, I decided not to expand my culture. In the summer when I'm working with the culture, I try to do it outside.

 

[packer43064]

I've heard of that happening before. The frass or dust that can be associated with keeping mealworms or superworms, even other insects like roaches can cause allergies over the years. It wouldn't be a bad idea to wear one of those nose masks if anything. Appreciate the concern

Also I've had quite a few people asking about wax worms. That will be one of the insects I would start raising immediately.

 

[geckoboy3]

If milkweed bugs eat milkweed, they're poisonous. If fed sunflower seeds, they're not.

 

[packer43064]

Well I've ordered ALOT of things recently (online) and bought alot of different things locally that I needed.

Got some racks which I desperately needed. Still need more easily, but I have some room now. Bought some flexwatt and a thermostat to heat up the larger rack which I bought for mealworms/supers and waxworms. Got supplies for isopod and springtail cultures. Ton of excelsior should be here any day now. Too many things to even tell, lol. I'll post pics tommorow, after a little clean up.

On Monday I will be having Orange isopods, Pill Bugs Armadillidium spp, Skirted Isopods Oniscus asellus, and 3 cultures of Sow Bugs Gray Porcellio overnighted to me. Also a 2 quart sized tub of temperate springs will be shipped out Monday as well. Still looking for more springs that I can get into 1 single shipment.

Looking how to culture House Flies as well. If they actually don't stink and it all works out right, I will be selling these. Phil has some very good cultuing ideas. From what I understand alot of HF/BB fly sellers buy from a larger company in bulk then resell. Which is fine(way easier then trying to culture and it doesn't work out) , but would be a good practice to sell home-bred HF/BB flies if everything worked out right. Same quality would have to happen to be succesful.

I just need the shipping supplies and will start selling the FF's. Already have heat packs on the way and have the insulated panels for shipping. Just need some good ole boxes and some filler material.

On a frog site I frequent I am going to become a sponsor, thus the reason I'm culturing isopods/springs. I'm sure a mantid wouldn't like these bugs.

I know it doesn't sound like a huge update, but there's another 4 shipments left to arrive and I already got 6 in the mail this past week. Along with all of the things I just bought in stores. I've been setting up racks and getting the spring/isopod cultures setup and of course making FF cultures all week. lol It's not cheap to start this, but it sure is fun setting new cultures up and figuring out how I want the racks setup and everything else that comes along with it. I have a whole room devoted to this, I can essentially do what I want. Money well spent IMO.

Still working on the site. I think after we get the main colors going and she makes the layout of the site the rest should be fairly easy. She is making the whole site from scratch. No choosing this template or anything like that. Obviously some things are programs we used, I really don't want to show my poor artistic skills and make the Bugwarehouse logo free hand!