Information about Purchasing from Us

Page Intro: Here’s everything you’ll want or need to know about ordering from us. Information such as ordering details, payment options, our guarantees, online sales icons, shipping details, a look at fees and charges, our schedule, and a short disclaimer. If you need additional help, please visit our separate shop help page.

Important Note: We will be closed for vacations (we’re too small to man the shop) from June 27th to July 5th, 2009. Due to the nature of some of our products, namely the majority of our biological pest control agents, you may need to allow an extra week for delivery of most organisms. Moreover, we will not be shipping anything during our closure unless drop-shipped and ordered by the 26th. For more info about biocontrol delivery delays, please check out our regular delivery times and ordering info and add to that. We apologize if this is inconvenient for you, but we do hope we may have and certainly appreciate your understanding. This only applies to some organisms. Ladybugs, nematodes, bees, and a few others are less affected. Please contact us if you have any questions.

Ordering Details

To order you may call us at 603-942-8925, fax us at 603-942-8932 (use fax order form), email us, order by mail, or order on-line (in this section). Whatever you’re comfortable with.

First, please bear in mind these important points:

If ordering by email, do not send secure information such as your credit card number. We will contact you by phone for that information.
Observe the ordering deadlines for timely shipments. The distribution of living organisms carries its own protocols.
Always provide your full contact details so we can get in touch with you if there’s a question.
Standing or pre-scheduled orders may also be placed ahead of time. We’re very reliable. If you use this option, just be sure it’s what you really want as there is a cancellation charge. Standing orders cannot be booked “forever.” Note: This is not an online shopping option.

Bug Ordering Deadlines

The daily Monday through Friday cutoff time is 3:00 pm Eastern Standard time when ordering by telephone or fax), in observance to the other deadlines shown below. In most cases, if you need the organisms by the following week, you must order by this time. The deadline is 1:00 pm if the order is made online, by email, or is a distributor order. In case you don’t know, you requested this page at 8:04 pm Eastern time.

Allow two weeks: Outdoor (quad) bumblebee hives and Leptomastix dactylopii. If possible, order bees as early as possible.
Order by Wednesday: Chrysoperla rufilabris lacewing larvae in the hexcell unit.
Order by Thursday: Aphidius ervi, Aphelinus abdominalis (not detailed on site), Aphidius colemani, Dacnusa siberica, Diglyphus isaea, Eretmocerus eremicus, Orius insidiosus, Feltiella acarisuga, Podisus maculiventris, and Cryptolaemus montrouzieri.
Order by Friday: All other biocontrols.
Order Anytime…: …or during business hours by phone: Non-perishable products, nematodes (1 million size and solid type) and ladybugs (Hippodamia convergens). The latter two can be ordered and shipped the same week if ordered by Wednesday noon.

There are no deadlines for ordering in-stock hard goods. They will usually ship the day you order them observing the daily times listed above.

Telephone and Visitation Hours

Our telephone hours are from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Thursday, and 8:30 am to 4:00 pm on Fridays. We are closed on most major holidays and on weekends. If you wish to visit us, we kindly ask that you make an appointment, even during normal business hours — we are not a retail outlet. All times are Eastern. [Intro]

Payment Options

We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express credit/debit cards. When ordering online you may also pay by sending funds via your PayPal account if you have one, or bank transfer, e-check.

Payment for offline orders may also be made by company or personal check. This must be sent in advance (and it must cover shipping) or you may be billed as we do offer limited credit to most commercial, academic, governmental, and institutional accounts upon request, pending approval. Purchase orders (PO) are generally accepted from these accounts (you may reference a PO number when ordering online if you are using a purchase card). Where it does apply, billing terms are 25 days, net, for those accounts, 15 days, net, for other approved accounts, and 30 days, net, for active distributors). Reasonable late charges will apply to delinquent accounts. [Intro]

Our Guarantees

Live Goods

We guarantee the organisms we ship within the United States including Alaska but not Hawaii or the territories to arrive alive and capable of performing as advertised. Claims, if any, must be telephoned in as soon as possible with the suspect unreleased organisms close at hand and treated as if alive (they may need to be returned and we may want to ask you questions or try a few things). Most times they are “resting” and we know how to “wake them up.” Really. This guarantee is only available to those receiving their biocontrol product via a delivery means which results in an overnight-only transit period, whether the shipment is made by ground or air. There are a few exceptions to this: Ladybugs ship guaranteed via second day air; international shipments, including Canada, are not guaranteed at all. Shipping costs are not refunded or credited. Keep reading for shipping info.

Other Goods

Guarantees of our IPM and Educational products offered by manufacturers will be extended where feasible, otherwise our standard guarantee is to allow the return of new, unopened, unused goods within a reasonable period of thirty days for a refund, credit, or exchange. Shipping costs are not refunded or credited. Exchanges, depending on the reason, may be subject to additional shipping. [Intro]