Delivery & Fulfilment

We specialise in live butterflies, moths and other insects, many of which are seasonal and available for only a short period each year. Because of this, most of our livestock is sold by pre-order.

This allows us to offer a much wider range of species while sending livestock at the most appropriate stage of its development.

Please remember: the estimated availability shown on a product is not a guaranteed dispatch or delivery date. It is our best estimate of when we expect that livestock to become available.

How your order works

  • 1. Place your order

    Choose the species you would like and complete your order as normal.

    For pre-order livestock, your order reserves stock from the breeding season. We recommend creating an account so that you can easily keep track of your orders.

  • 2. Wait for the livestock to become available

    We or one of our trusted breeders establish breeding stock for each species.

    Butterflies, moths and other insects are living organisms, so their development cannot be predicted to an exact date. Temperature, weather, breeding success and other biological factors can all cause availability to be earlier or later than originally expected.

    We provide estimated availability information on each product and send updates where appropriate as the season progresses.

  • 3. We prepare your delivery

    When your livestock is nearly ready for dispatch, we prepare it for shipping.

    Your order may be sent from our own facilities or directly from one of our trusted breeders.

    A shipping label may be prepared in advance, so receiving a tracking number does not necessarily mean your parcel has already been handed to Royal Mail. Tracking will normally update once the parcel enters the postal network.

  • 4. Your order is dispatched

    Once dispatched, you can follow your parcel using the tracking information provided.

    Please make sure you have read the relevant Care Guides and have everything ready before your livestock arrives.

  • 5. Your livestock is delivered!

  • Important: The availability date shown on each livestock product is an estimate of when we expect the species to become available. It is not a guaranteed delivery or dispatch date.

Estimated Availability

Each livestock product displays an indication of when we expect it to become available.

This is an estimated availability period — not a guaranteed dispatch or delivery date.

For example, if a product says:

Estimated availability: June

this means that we expect the livestock to become available during or around June. It does not mean that your individual order is guaranteed to be dispatched or delivered during June.

Availability can change because of:

  • weather and temperature;
  • the timing of adult emergence;
  • breeding success;
  • egg laying and fertility;
  • developmental rates;
  • natural mortality; and
  • other biological or environmental factors outside our reasonable control.

Depending on the species and when you order, you may therefore wait several weeks or longer before your livestock is dispatched.

If we are ultimately unable to supply livestock during the applicable season, we will deal with this in accordance with our Terms of Sale.

Why do we use pre-orders?

Pre-orders are particularly useful when working with live insects.

Many species spend only a relatively short period at the stage at which they are suitable for shipping. Eggs may hatch quickly, while pupae can emerge unexpectedly as adults.

By accepting orders before livestock is produced, we can dispatch eggs shortly after they are laid and pupae or cocoons once they have properly formed and are suitable for transport.

This helps us to:

  • offer a much wider variety of species;
  • plan breeding stock according to demand;
  • reduce the amount of livestock produced without a home waiting for it;
  • prioritise customers who ordered earliest; and
  • send livestock at the most appropriate stage of development.

Any livestock produced beyond our pre-orders may be made available for immediate sale during the season.

Ordering Multiple Species

You can order several species together.

Currently, a single order can contain up to 10 species for UK delivery or 5 species for international delivery.

Because different species become available at different times, we do not necessarily wait for your entire order to become available before sending it.

Your order may therefore arrive in more than one parcel.

For example, if you order three species and one becomes available before the others, that species may be fulfilled separately while the remaining species stay on order until they become available.

We will let you know what has been dispatched.

Orders containing multiple species may also be fulfilled by different breeders, meaning parcels can originate from different locations and arrive separately.

Dispatch & Tracking

When livestock is nearly ready, we may prepare your shipping label and send your tracking information.

Please don't be concerned if your tracking number does not immediately show movement.

Labels can be prepared before livestock is finally packed and handed to Royal Mail. Tracking normally becomes active once Royal Mail receives or processes the parcel.

Your tracking number therefore indicates that your order is being prepared for dispatch and should not always be interpreted as confirmation that it has already entered the postal network.

Once your parcel has been dispatched, please monitor its tracking so that you know when to expect delivery.

Delivery Times

here is an important difference between availability and delivery time.

Estimated availability
When we expect the livestock to become available for fulfilment.

Dispatch
When your livestock has been packed and sent.

Delivery time
How long the parcel takes to reach you after dispatch.

Therefore, a delivery service described as taking 24 hours does not mean that a pre-order will arrive within 24 hours of placing your order.

Typical transit times after dispatch are:

UK: Most parcels arrive the next day, usually within approximately 24 hours of dispatch.

Europe: International parcels commonly arrive within approximately one week.

USA & further afield: Delivery can take 10 days or longer.

These are typical transit times only and are not guaranteed, particularly for international shipments.

UK Delivery

UK livestock orders are sent using Royal Mail.

We take great care when packing livestock to protect it during its journey. The exact packing method varies according to the species, developmental stage, weather and other conditions.

Live & Healthy Arrival Guarantee

Livestock sent to eligible UK addresses is covered by our Live & Healthy Arrival Guarantee in accordance with our Terms of Sale.

If livestock arrives dead, sick or in poor condition, please contact us on the day it arrives.

Please provide:

  • your order number;
  • details of the affected livestock; and
  • clear photographs showing the livestock and its packaging.

Please retain both the livestock and its original packaging until we have responded, as we may need additional photographs or information.

Where a problem is covered by our guarantee, we will normally replace the affected livestock as soon as reasonably possible at no additional cost.

Because livestock is seasonal, an immediate replacement may not always be available.

Where we cannot provide a suitable replacement within a reasonable period, we will refund the price paid for the affected livestock.

The guarantee covers the condition of livestock when it arrives.

Once livestock has arrived alive and in good condition, its continued health and development depend upon appropriate care, environmental conditions, temperature, feeding, handling and the natural biology of the species.

Please therefore read the appropriate Care Guide before your order arrives.

Our Live & Healthy Arrival Guarantee is in addition to, and does not affect, your statutory rights.

Receiving Live Insects

Live insects are particularly sensitive to prolonged delays and extreme temperatures.

Please:

  • provide a complete and accurate delivery address;
  • monitor your tracking once your order has been dispatched;
  • arrange prompt collection or redelivery if delivery is missed;
  • avoid allowing live insects to remain outside in extreme heat, cold or direct sunlight; and
  • open and appropriately care for your livestock within a reasonable time after delivery.

If you choose to have a parcel left in a safe place, with a neighbour or at another nominated location, please make sure that location is suitable for receiving live insects.

If you notice that the delivery address on your order is incorrect, contact us as soon as possible. We will make reasonable efforts to change it where the parcel has not already been dispatched.

International Delivery

We are pleased to ship certain livestock internationally where this service is available.

However, international transportation of live insects carries significantly greater risks than UK delivery.

Once dispatched, parcels can be affected by:

  • customs and border inspections;
  • import procedures;
  • longer or unpredictable transit times;
  • local postal or courier delays;
  • adverse temperatures and weather;
  • delays caused by authorities; and
  • other circumstances outside our reasonable control.

For these reasons, our Live & Healthy Arrival Guarantee does not apply to livestock dispatched outside the United Kingdom, except where we are required to provide a remedy under applicable law.

International orders are therefore accepted subject to the international delivery provisions contained in our Terms of Sale.

Import rules & permits

It is the customer's responsibility to check whether the livestock being ordered can legally be imported, possessed and received in their destination country or territory.

Depending on your location, this may include checking requirements relating to:

  • import permits or licences;
  • customs requirements;
  • prohibited or restricted species;
  • animal or plant health controls;
  • wildlife legislation; and
  • any other applicable local regulations.

We complete customs documentation accurately and will not deliberately misdescribe or conceal the contents of a shipment.

If you have an import permit, licence or other document that needs to accompany your parcel, please contact us after placing your order so that this can be arranged where practicable.

Customers are responsible for any applicable import duties, taxes, customs charges or similar fees unless otherwise stated at checkout.