In the unique world of insect ownership, insect enthusiasts, bug lovers, invertebrate owners have a key task to complete. They need to ship Chinese green praying mantis insects to other insect enthusiasts while protecting them from stress and death.
With the right packaging materials and shipping supplies, you can ship this species of praying mantis insects successfully and ensure they survive the journey. Adhering to several best practices can also make the process easier. If you’re wondering how to ship Chinese green praying mantis the right way, we have the best tips to help you – read this guide for the key steps to follow.
Factors to Think About when Shipping Praying Mantis
Extreme temperatures, a lack of humidity, poor ventilation, and fragile, undersized containers can mean that the praying mantis might not survive the shipping journey – that is why temperature control and extra care needs to be taken to prepare the right shipping conditions for your insect.
One of the simplest ways to select the right container is to choose one that is at least three times the mantis’s length – it’ll allow the insect to molt its exoskeleton. However, keep in mind that if the container is too large, the praying mantis might not be able to find its food. Here’s what our packaging professionals also suggest when shipping the tiny insects to their destination.
Keep Praying Mantis Safe and Secure
A secure container is essential to ensure the praying mantis does not escape when in transit. Some of the ideal containers you may consider include a cricket box, very large portion cups, or a deli container with a secure lid that snaps onto the plastic base and has no large gaps.
At the same time, you’ll need to keep the praying mantis comfortable and secure, and ensure it has the right conditions to molt. This means you will need to incorporate a mesh-like material into the container, a process that we have described in more detail below.
Add a Humidity Source
Since praying mantis insects need moisture and humidity to shed their exoskeleton, you will need to add a humidity source to the container. With kitchen paper towels, you can incorporate moisture into the container.
Using a spray bottle that contains water, just spray the base of the container and a couple of paper towels with water, and place the paper towels on the container’s base to line it. Take care not to oversaturate the paper towel, as this may cause it to break apart.
Ensure the Container is Ventilated
Some deli containers contain holes already, which is ideal for ensuring the praying mantis receives enough air throughout the shipping journey.
If the container does not have any holes in it, you will need to create holes to ensure it remains ventilated. To achieve this, you can cut small holes into the plastic walls of the container before adding the mesh material and the praying mantis.
Additional Steps for Shipping Praying Mantis Insects
Beyond these factors, a couple of additional steps are required to ship praying mantis insects, including placing the deli container into a corrugated box and labelling the box. Let’s consider how to complete these steps.
Adding the Mesh-Like Material
You will need to add nylon bug netting to the inside of the deli container’s lid, because praying mantis insects cannot molt on a slippery plastic surface.
Affix the nylon bug netting to the inner side of the lid with a few drops of hot-melt adhesive glue, which you can dispense with a glue gun. The praying mantis will cling to the mesh surface and hang upside down if it needs to molt the exoskeleton during the shipping journey. Then, you can close the lid tightly to keep the insect secure.
Temperature Maintenance
It’s also important to ensure the temperature does not fluctuate significantly, because these insects thrive in temperatures between 21ºC and 29ºC. That is where cool packs and heat packs can make a difference.
During hot weather, you can use packing tape to affix a cold pack to the base of the box, which will keep the temperature stable. If you are shipping to an area in which the temperature is below 5ºC, include a heat pack, but ensure it doesn’t directly contact the insect.
Placing the Deli Container into a Corrugated Box
You’ll need to select a double-walled corrugated box or custom packaging boxes with two layers of fluting, because these types of packaging are more robust. Choosing custom boxes will give you more bespoke sizing, while their fluting prevents the box from being crushed or dented and protects the praying mantis from impacts.
It’s important to line these boxes with insulated shipping box liners. Insulated boxes ensure the temperature fluctuations are not extreme. You should also align the dimensions of the insulated box liners with the corrugated box size to ensure you can assemble the package and all the elements fit.
Since you will need to add void fill to the base of the corrugated box to prevent the deli container from sliding around inside, ensure the corrugated box is approximately one inch larger than the container. Some ideal void fill options include shredded paper sheets, air pillows, or shredded newsprint paper. Once the void fill is added, place the deli container inside.
Labelling the Corrugated Box
Next, label the corrugated box and include the recipient’s address as well as your return address. These addresses should feature your full name, your street address, plus the suite number, province, and postal code. Such labels are offered by Canada Post, and will take a pre-printed form.
You should additionally include a ‘Fragile’ label sticker, or a custom label with more warning information such as ‘do not crush,’ and place this on the top side of the shipping box. This will alert the courier that extra care needs to be taken when handling the box.
Selecting a Carrier
Finally, you will need to select a carrier to complete the praying mantis insect shipment. It’s best to consider carriers that have experience shipping live insects and that can adhere to fast shipping processes.
Carriers such as Canada Post and UPS offer expedited services, with FedEx offering priority overnight and Next Day Air shipping processes. Canada Post provides the Expedited Parcel shipping process, but keep in mind that you will need to adhere to their strict shipping policies (such as sending the insects during a specific timeframe, which you can learn about in our FAQs below).
Choose Packaging Solutions from The Packaging Company to Ship Praying Mantis
Although it’s an intricate and delicate process, you can send your praying mantis insects to their destination and keep them safe and protected when you select high-quality packaging. Exceptional packing supplies will ensure your praying mantis remains unharmed from the start to the end of the journey.
Start and handle the shipping process confidently with the help of The Packaging Company. Ship praying mantis insects with our packaging solutions.
FAQs
Can You Ship Insects Through Canada Post?
You absolutely can ship insects through Canada Post, but there is a timeframe that you need to adhere to. If you want to ship insects through this courier, you need to send them between March 1st and October 31st. You also need to ensure that the delivery is achievable within three consecutive business days, and the insects need to be free from disease.
Do I Need Authorization from the CFIA to Ship a Chinese Green Praying Mantis?
Since Chinese green praying mantis species are not on the list of pests regulated by Canada, you will not require authorization from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to ship them. Although the body specifies requirements to prevent plant health harm caused by some invertebrates, you won’t need authorization from them in this case.
How Should I Mark the Package when Shipping a Praying Mantis?
You will need to label the box on both opposing sides with the phrase ‘LIVE ANIMALS’ and use upper case, large writing to do so. You can alternatively or additionally write the name of the species on both sides of the box to ensure the courier takes care when handling the package throughout the shipping process.
