faq-policy
What should I do to prepare to receive my live caterpillars?
There are some important guidelines and suggestions to help make your experience successful. Please read over the following list carefully:- Be sure to track your package and know ahead of time the approximate day of delivery to be prepared.
- Extreme heat is the #1 killer of caterpillars. Try to have your package delivered to an indoor mailbox rather than an outdoor mailbox where temperatures are extreme and can harm the caterpillars.
- If your packages are typically left at the door, please be sure that they are left in the shade (leave a note for your mail carrier) and that they are not left outside for too long.
- If none of the above are possible, you may want to consider having the caterpillars delivered to your work location or even a P.O. Box so that they can be received and kept indoors.
What carrier do you use to deliver the caterpillars?
We use the U.S. Postal Service Priority Mail, which is a 1-3 day delivery window.
Can you ship to a P.O. Box?
Yes, we use USPS as our carrier. However, please be sure to track you package and pick it up the day it is delivered to your P.O. Box.
When should I expect the delivery?
Generally Wednesday or Thursday of each week, but no later than Friday. We ship only on Mondays and Tuesdays to ensure delivery no later than Friday regardless of your location. We are located in California so the vast majority of transit times will be 2 days after shipping. There are some distant North East and South East areas where it might take 3 days.
How will I know my caterpillars have shipped?
You will receive a shipping confirmation email from the USPS automated system.
When are caterpillars available?
We try to follow the natural occurrence of butterflies in the wild. So, our typical growing season is from late January through late October.
Where can you ship to?
We can ship live Painted Ladies anywhere within the Continental United States. However, we cannot ship to Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Mexico, Canada or any location outside of the Continental US.
Do you charge sales tax?
Only if the order is delivered within the state of California (sales tax rate is 7.25%).
What is your live butterfly guarantee?
We guarantee at least three healthy and fully developed butterflies. Although most or all of the butterflies will develop normally, occasionally there are some that simply don’t make it and may even die as caterpillars. This is normal and a part of nature. It is our desire that you have the best experience possible, so if you do not get three or more butterflies, we will send you a replacement refill kit. (We do ask that you submit a photo via email of the defective butterflies or dead caterpillars so that we can assess what might have gone wrong.)
I didn't get all the caterpillars I ordered. Why?
We always ship 6 caterpillars or 12 caterpillars per kit depending on which sized kit is ordered. Occasionally, some caterpillars do not survive the shipping. Therefore we do not guarantee how many caterpillars you actually receive. However, we DO guarantee that at the end of the process you will have at least 3 healthy adult butterflies (see above)!
Do you offer a refund if all my caterpillars arrive dead?
If all the caterpillars died in transit, we will replace them at no charge to you. Caterpillars arriving dead were most likely exposed to extreme heat at some point. If this happens, please consider having them delivered to a different location where they can be received and kept indoors. We will only offer one replacement set of caterpillars.
