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 either an insulated box with ice packs to keep them cool or with unfrozen cold packs to protect them from freezing. It is important to note that even if the ice packs are no longer frozen at 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) 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. 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!

 

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