Heat & Cold Shipping Packs

Product Details

Protect your insects during shipping with temperature control for your order. Heat and cold shipping packs increase the chance of successful live arrival delivery in the following situations:

For Dubia Roaches:

• When your daytime temperature is below 40°F or above 80°F.
• When the temperature is forecast to be outside the safe zone (above) the day of delivery, or forecast temps look OK, but the weather may change.

For Cleaner Crews:

Dermestids and lesser mealworm cleaner crews can handle a slightly greater temperature range than Dubia roaches. However, to be safe, we suggest sticking to the guidelines above. Cleaner crews tend to do a little better when it’s hot, but poorly when it’s cold.

Important Note: Temperature control does not guarantee live arrival. It’s not insurance and it does not prevent loss. However, it does increase the chance of successful live delivery – often substantially. But it’s not perfect. You still need to exercise caution when it’s very hot or cold. A post office hold is always a good idea. In fact, this is our top recommendation when it’s hot. When it’s cold, a heat pack and post office hold for pickup go great together. Expedited shipping may help too. The less time Dubia roaches and other insects spend traveling in extreme weather, the better.

How To Maximize the Chance of Success:

Here are our recommendations to maximize the chance of successful delivery, in order of effectiveness. (NOTE: “expedited shipping” is USPS Priority Mail, USPS Overnight, and FedEx)

When it’s hot (particularly above 80°F): The main cause of loss by far is (a) being out for delivery all day in the heat and (b) being left in a hot location (mailbox, porch). Avoiding these two situations cuts 90% of the risk. A post office hold is usually adequate, but there are other options too.

Here are our suggestions for when it’s hot, in order of effectiveness:

1. Post office hold + cold pack + expedited shipping
2. Post office hold + cold pack
3. Post office hold (most popular choice & usually adequate)
4. Expedited shipping + cold pack + being home at delivery

When it’s cold (particularly near or below freezing): There are a few more ways for loss to occur when it’s cold. However, it depends how cold it is. When it’s very cold (near or below freezing), losses are usually caused by (a) sitting in a mailbox with no heat pack or (b) being out for delivery all day with no heat pack. If it’s 40°F, for example, you might get away with all of these things. However, if it’s 20°F (or anything near or below freeing) you might not get away with any of them. Remember, Dubia are tropical roaches.

Here are our suggestions for when it’s cold, in order of effectiveness:

1. Expedited shipping + heat pack + post office hold
2. Expedited shipping + heat pack + being home for delivery
3. Post office hold + heat pack (most popular choice & usually adequate)
4. Post office hold (often adequate but heat advised when very cold)
5. Heat pack

Expedited Shipping

Expedited shipping is available via USPS and FedEx. USPS Priority Mail is fast and reliable, with many packages taking only 2 days to arrive. To get a Priority Mail delivery estimate for your location, click the link below and enter 94705 for the origin zip code. You’ll get a map with zones showing delivery estimates at 1, 2, and 3 days. These times are not guaranteed, but we’ve found that the estimates are fairly accurate.

USPS Priority Mail Delivery Map (external link)

We also offer USPS Overnight (which is actually either overnight or 2-day, determined by USPS based on your location), and FedEx 2-day.

Our Temperature

In deciding whether or not to add temperature control to your order, don’t worry about the temperature here in Berkeley. Our climate is mild and our mail goes directly from the drop-off location to Oakland International Airport just 10 miles away. Airplane cargo bays are temperature-controlled, and the next stop is either a distribution hub or an airport near you. Your local weather is the most important consideration.

Your Weather Forecast

Most of the time you can base your decision whether or not to include temperature control on your weather alone. You can check your forecast at Accuweather (external link). Sometimes extreme national or regional weather events en route can be a factor, but this is uncommon.

For Recurring Shipments

It’s always a good idea to add temperature control to a recurring shipment if you live in an area where temperatures may rise above 80°F or fall below 40°F at some point during the year. If you choose temperature control for a recurring shipment, we will check your local temperature before each shipment and add a heat or cold pack as needed. When it’s not needed, we will issue a refund for that shipment cycle.

You may also want to add a post office hold for pickup during summer or winter. This is actually the best way to prevent DOAs in transit. You can add a post office hold during checkout, or contact us for an existing order and we’ll add (or remove) it for you.

If you have questions

Please contact us if you have any questions. We’re happy to help you decide whether or not to include temperature control with your order.