Shipping, Shelf Life and Storage

Beneficial nematodes are living organisms, so proper transport and storage are of utmost importance to ensure the nematodes are alive and well and ready to hunt down and kill pest insects upon application. It is important to buy nematodes from a reputable supplier that provides adequate shipping conditions and clearly labels shelf life to ensure you are buying live and effective organisms.

When buying beneficial nematodes, it is critical that consumers be aware of how nematodes are being shipped to ensure their nematodes are actually alive upon delivery (especially since this is impossible to determine with the naked eye). Nematodes are temperature sensitive, and sitting too long in transport can kill many or all of the nematodes. BioLogic chooses the most appropriate shipping method depending on geographic destination and time of year to ensure the nematodes don't get too hot or cold or get stuck in transit too long. Depending on conditions, we ship our nematodes in an insulated box with either ice packs to keep them cool or unfrozen cold packs to protect them from freezing. It is important to note that even if the ice packs are no longer frozen at the time of delivery, they will keep the product cool enough for a long enough period of time to keep the nematodes alive. We have done extensive testing to ensure our shipping methods are adequate and result in a live product at your door. See some examples of BioLogic's packaging below:

The shelf life of beneficial nematodes varies depending on the formulation in which the nematodes are kept. Nematodes in a solid formulation (such as BioLogic's Lawn and Garden Scanmask and Horticultural Scanmask, sold as Scanmask Topdressing) have a longer shelf life compared to those in a powder-like sprayable formulation (such as Scanmask Spray products). This is because the solid formulation better mimics soil, the natural environment of the nematodes, and because nematodes are less concentrated in the solid formulation as compared to the powder formulation. Both formulations need to be refrigerated to ensure the nematodes remain alive and active.

Below is a breakdown of the shelf life of each of our nematode products. Every package is marked with a "use by" date. As long as storage and shelf life guidelines are followed, you can certainly buy nematodes in advance to make sure you are ready for spring!

Product	Refrigerated shelf life (marked "use by" date)
Scanmask Lawn & Garden (Scanmask Topdressing, 10 million)	1 year from the ship date
Horticultural Scanmask (Scanmask Topdressing, 25 million)	6 months from the ship date
Horticultural Ecomask (Ecomask Topdressing, 25 million)	6 months from the ship date
Scanmask Spray and Ecomask Spray (5 million & 10 million sizes)	at least 2 months from the ship date
Scanmask Spray and Ecomask Spray (25 million & larger sizes)	at least 1 month from the ship date
Heteromask Spray (all sizes)	at least 3 weeks from the ship date

Store your nematodes in the refrigerator at 35 to 50°F, never freeze them, and use them by the date marked on the package.