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Replacement Procedure
Berkshire Biological can not replace orders
without this information:
1. Note the date you received
the shipment.
2. Make note of any information that might help
the lab determine the cause of the problem.
3. Phone Berkshire Biological at 1 (800) 462 -
1382
4. Berkshire Biological must be notified of any
shortages or problems within 48 hours of receipt
of your order. Cost of replacement after 2 (two)
days becomes the responsibility of the customer.
Please Note:
All shipments contain more organisms than you
will need for your activities. If any of your
specimens have expired prior to arrival, be sure
to count the remaining organisms to determine if
you have enough for your activities before
calling for replacement.
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Unwanted Specimens
CAUTION: DO NOT RELEASE THIS LIVING MATERIAL
INTO YOUR LOCAL ENVIRONMENT!
If this live material can not
be maintained with security in your classroom or
laboratory, it should be destroyed.
All organisms can be
terminated or anesthetized by low temperatures.
Freeze plants and invertebrates to dispose of
them.
If released, any organism not
native to your local environment has the
potential of destroying the ecological balance.
This applies to everything from algae and
daphnia to snails and frogs.
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Algae
(Chlamydomonas)
Remove cap immediately and place where it will
receive good light without excessive heat.
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Anacharis (Elodea)
Keep wet. Cover completely with spring water.
Place where it will receive some light, but not
direct sunlight.
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Aphids
Take off lid. The bottom half holds a pellet
with a pea seedling and aphids. Check inside of
top for stray aphids which may be carefully
brushed onto seedling with a small paint brush.
If pellet seems dry, add enough water to wet
thoroughly. Place seedling, in cup, in cool
place where it will receive some light, but not
direct sunlight.
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Butterfly Larvae (Painted Lady)
The larvae are shipped with their own food in
their shipping container.
More About the
Painted Lady Butterfly (Vanessa cardui)
Description and
Natural History
The Painted Lady butterfly is one of the most
common of all butterflies. It, like other
insects, has three pairs of legs, but the front
pair is reduced in size. The front legs are too
short to be useful for walking and are kept
folded against the chest. Painted Ladies have
hairy front legs and hence are grouped with
other brush-footed butterflies.
The wingspan is 4.5 to 6 cm
(1.75 to 2.25 inches). The tops of the wings are
white, orange, brown, and black. The undersides
also have tan, blue, and purple. The tips of the
forewings are black with white spots and smooth
(not ragged) edges. The Painted Lady's natural
habitat is open woods, meadows, and deserts all
over the United States and Mexico and much of
Canada.
Painted Lady caterpillars
feed on such plants as fiddleneck, nettle, and
hollyhock; the adults feed on nectar from any
flower. An adult sucks out the flower nectar by
means of a long proboscis. Taste receptors on
the second two pairs of legs enable the
butterfly to taste sweet liquids with its feet.
Contact of these organs with the petals of a
flower sets off a reflex that uncoils the long,
flexible proboscis that can be worked into the
smallest opening to reach the flower nectar. In
feeding, these butterflies pollinate and
cross-pollinate a vast number of plants.
Metamorphosis of a butterfly
has four distinct development stages: egg, larva
(caterpillar), pupa (chrysalid), and adult. At
room temperature the Painted Lady butterfly
remains in the egg stage for 4 days, in the
larval stage for 12 to 18 days, and in the pupal
stage for about 8 days. The adults mate and
begin laying eggs within 4 days after they
emerge from the pupal stage.
At normal room temperature,
growth of the caterpillars will be rather fast.
From 7 to 11 days after you receive them, the
caterpillars will have finished their growth and
will have changed to the pupal stage
(chrysalids). Butterfly larvae form chrysalids,
characterized by a hard casing surrounding the
pupae. Butterfly larvae do not spin cocoons;
cocoons are protective casings built by moth
larvae.
After the adult emerges from
the chrysalid, a red liquid, called meconium, is
sometimes forced from the tail of the butterfly.
It is left over from wing formation, along with
the unneeded tissues of the caterpillar. The
butterfly will pump fluid into its wings to help
them unfold. The wings will dry and harden
within 24 hours.
Classroom Care
and Maintenance
You will receive several butterfly larvae and
one dark layer of food in a plastic cup with
some filter paper on top. Open the container and
gently touch each larva with a stick to see if
it moves. Care and feeding instructions will
accompany the shipment.
The caterpillars can take a
fairly wide range of temperatures. Growth stops
at or below about 10 degrees Celsius (about 50
degrees Farenhiet) and at or above about 43
degrees Celsius (about 110 degrees Fahrenheit).
Optimum temperature is about 30 degrees Celsius
(about 85 degrees Farenhiet). Keep the
caterpillars out of direct sun, and don't let
them freeze.
Feeding the larvae is simple;
just keep them on the prepared food in which
they were shipped. If it is already prepared,
put the container into the future butterfly
housing. Until the larvae pupate (form
chrysalids), they must spend most of their time
eating, inside the small container.
The larvae will feed and grow
for 7 to 10 days. Then they will crawl to the
top of the container and hang down. After about
a day the skin splits down the back; underneath
are the chrysalids. They will soon harden and
change to a golden color. Two days after the
larvae pupate, remove the paper disk with the
chrysalids attached. They are now ready to be
placed in a butterfly house.
Making a
Butterfly House
You can make a butterfly house out of a
cardboard box by cutting large windows on all
four sides of the box and covering the windows
with clear plastic or mosquito netting. Attach
the plastic or netting over the windows on the
inside of the butterfly house. If you use
plastic, be sure to make 20 or 30 pencil-sized
holes in the top of the cardboard box to allow
air to enter the butterfly house. The papers
with the chrysalids may be attached to the
inside walls of the butterfly house with masking
tape. If using a Butterfly Tower, attach the
papers to the netting with common pins.
Be sure each chrysalid is
free-hanging in its downward position. Add a few
twigs to the butterfly house, being sure to lean
them against the sides in stable positions. The
adult butterflies will alight on these twigs and
small branches. When the cyrysalids are about 7
to 10 days old, they will darken. Wing color
will begin to show through. The adults will
emerge within 12 to 24 hours.
The butterflies will not be
hungry immediately after emerging. They have
food stored in their bodies for the first day or
two. They will live from 1 to 3 weeks, depending
largely on the regularity with which they are
fed.
To feed the adults, prepare a
5% solution of household sugar water (1 part
sugar to 20 parts water). Pour the solution into
a shallow dish and put in some cotton balls or
pieces of sponge to act as wicks. Change the
solution every 2 days to prevent spoilage.
Provide plants or crumpled
facial tissues on which the female butterflies
may lay their eggs. Observe daily for butterfly
mating and egg-laying behavior.
Disposal
If it is necessary to dispose of any of the
butterflies, freeze and discard them in plastic
bags.
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Chameleons
Place a crumpled paper towel in the terrarium.
Break seal of shipping container and quickly
empty chameleons into terrarium and close lid.
Spray spring water on inside walls and
vegetation daily. Chameleons will drink from
shallow dishes. They will need no feeding until
class time.
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Crayfish
Open shipping container at once. Float container
upright in an aquarium of spring water about 10
to 15 minutes to equalize temperatures. When the
temperatures are equal (test with finger of
clean, soap-free hand), pour contents into a dip
net, rinse with spring water, and quickly
transfer crayfish to your aquarium. Discard
shipping water. A cover for your aquarium is
suggested to prevent escape. Provide live
floating plants such as Anacharis or Hornwort
for resting spots. They eat flaked fish food.
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Cricket Eggs
If not used right away, these eggs may be held
in their shipping container and media for two to
three days at 50 degrees Fahrenheit, if
necessary. You may notice some mold on your
cricket eggs. This is common and will not affect
the viability of your eggs.
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Crickets
Crickets are shipped in a box with crumpled
paper. They dislike overcrowding and should be
transferred to a terraria as soon as possible.
To empty box, slit tape. Turn upside down over
terrarium, shake box. Paper and crickets will
fall out. Some crickets may cling to the box.
Brush them in the terrarium and close the lid.
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Dragonfly and Damselfly Larvae
Open jar immediately. Hungry larvae will attack
each other; therefore, we suggest that they be
placed in separate containers of room
temperature spring water as soon as possible.
Add several sprigs of Hornwart and a supply of
Daphnia if possible.
More About
Dragonfly Nymphs
Dragonfly nymphs are larvae
of the commonly called "Devil's Darning Needle"
or "Mosquito Hawk," native to the woodland ponds
and swampy areas of the world. There are 450
species of dragonflies native to North America
alone. The nymphs develop buried in the muddy
shallows where they consume huge numbers of
mosquitoes and other insects. They are
considered beneficial insects by man, as they
reduce populations of pest insects in their
surrounding environment.
Nymphs can be introduced to
ponds, marshes, swamps, and other slow-moving
waterways where they will complete their
metamorphosis into adults and continue to prey
upon mosquitoes in large quantities. The nymphs
will climb out of the water onto waterside
vegetation and hatch. The females mate and lay
eggs in the areas surrounding the water, and the
cycle continues.
As dragonfly nymphs are
cannibalistic, be sure not to keep them in an
overcrowded condition. Upon receiving the
nymphs, release immediately into the water,
spacing them several feet apart to insure an
adequate food supply. As long as there are
sufficient numbers of other insects to hunt,
cannibalism will not become a problem. One to
two hundred nymphs can be maintained comfortably
on an acre of swampy land.
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Daphnia
Do not net Daphnia because they must be kept in
water at all times. Upon arrival, transfer
Daphnia by using a kitchen baster or by pouring
them into a one gallon container or more of
either pond or spring water. If transfer is not
possible, Daphnia may be kept for a short time,
in the original shipping container if it is
uncapped and left in a cool place (60-65 degrees
Fahrenheit).
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Duckweed (Wolffia)
Loosen cap. May be kept in jar until transfer to
spring water. Keep in bright spot, but not in
direct sunlight once transferred. Keep plants
trimmed to pleasing dimensions, and occasionally
groom by removing dead or unwanted leaves and
pinching to discourage "leggy" growth.
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Earthworms
Keep cool.
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Fiddler Crabs (freshwater)
Open shipping container at once. Float upright
in aquarium of spring water to equalize
temperature. When temperatures are equal (test
with finger of clean, soap-free hand), pour
contents of container through a dip net and
quickly transfer crabs to the aquarium. Discard
the shipping water. Provide the crabs with live
aquatic plants such as Anacharis for food and a
resting spot. A cover for your aquarium is
suggested to prevent escape.
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Fontinalis
Keep wet. Cover completely with spring water.
Place where it will receive some light but not
direct sunlight. Fontinalis is a floating plant
in the aquarium.
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Foxtail
Keep wet. Cover completely with spring water.
Place where it will receive some light but not
direct sunlight. Foxtail should be rooted in the
gravel or sand of the aquarium. Keep plants
trimmed to pleasing dimensions, and occasionally
groom by removing dead or unwanted leaves and
pinching to discourage "leggy" growth.
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Frogs
Carefully open container, rinse with spring
water, and quickly place in covered terrarium.
This environment should provide both ample water
and some "land" surface such as a flat rock.
Slightly tipping one end of an aquarium holding
a few inches of spring water will create dry and
wet areas for your amphibians. If held for a
short time, your frogs will need no feeding
until class time.
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Frog Eggs
Frog eggs can be loaded into an aquarium filled
with spring water. Keep out of direct sunlight.
Tadpoles should be seen within 5-7 days. You
will need to begin to feed them. Not all frog
eggs will hatch. This is disappointing, but so
many factors can stop development that this
happens sometimes.
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Fruit Flies
Keep fly cultures at room temperature, out of
direct sunlight. Add a few drops of water if
culture dries out. Keep food vials in
refrigerator.
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Guppies
Float unopened bag in container of spring water
for about 10-15 minutes to equalize the
temperature. When temperatures are equal (test
with finger of clean soap-free hand), pour
contents of bag through a dip net. Rinse with
spring water of same temperature. Transfer
guppies from net to container of spring water.
Discard shipping water.
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Hermit Crabs (Tree Crabs)
Rinse with tepid spring water and place in
terrarium. Provide a shallow dish of water and
food (cereal, granola).
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Hornwort
Keep wet. Cover completely with spring water.
Place where it will receive some light but not
direct sunlight. Hornwort is a floating plant in
the aquarium. Keep plants trimmed to pleasing
dimensions, and occasionally groom by removing
dead or unwanted leaves and pinching to
discourage "leggy" growth.
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Hydra
Open cap to admit air. Store in cool place until
use.
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Isopods
(Sowbugs)
Sowbugs are shipped in a container with damp
paper and a "breathing" cap to provide both
moisture and air. Place them in a suitable
terraria with soil, seeds, and water as soon as
possible. Discard cardboard and paper.
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Ladybugs
Ladybugs should be released into to a feeding
environment as soon as possible. You may provide
a sponge soaked with sugar water. If storage is
necessary, keep refrigerated at approximately 35
degrees Fahrenheit in their shipping container.
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Lily Bulbs (dwarf aquatic)
These bulbs may be held for a short time in
their shipping container. Keep cool. Plant bulbs
in the gravel or sand of an aquarium filled with
spring water as soon as possible.
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Lizards
& Food Set
Includes 2 anoles with wingless drosophila
(fruit flies) or feeder crickets. Anoles change
color from green to brown, and will climb
towards the light source for warmth. Anoles will
not drink from the aquarium - they must lick
water from leaves or the glass walls. Spray mist
the tank daily if normal condensation does not
supply enough water. Anoles are voracious eaters
- therefore feed daily. Crawling or flying
soft-bodied live insects such as crickets,
beetle larvae, termites, house flies, wax moth
larvae, may be offered.
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Mealworm Beetles
Mealworm beetles are shipped in a container with
a "breathing" cap to provide air. They need no
special care but should be used as soon as
possible, as they have a rather short life span.
If kept in a bran-filled container with a small
piece of potato for moisture then the beetles
will lay eggs and start another life cycle.
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Mealworms
Store in a cool place 45 to 65 degrees
Fahrenheit. Mealworms may be refrigerated as
long as several weeks, but it is not
recommended. If left at room temperature, they
will soon pupate. They will eat bran and slices
of potato.
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Newts
Open shipping container at once. Float container
upright in aquarium of spring water about 10-15
minutes to equalize temperatures. When the
temperatures are equal (test with finger of
clean, soap-free hand), pour contents into a dip
net. Rinse with spring water, and quickly
transfer newts to your aquarium. Discard
shipping water. A cover for your aquarium is
suggested to prevent escape. Provide live
floating plants such as Anacharis or Hornwort
for resting spots. No feeding will be needed
until class time in short-term holding.
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Newts &
Food Set
Includes 2 newts and wingless drosophila (fruit
flies). Newts are amphibious, and at times will
burrow under leaves or twigs inside the river
tank, as their normal habitat is in deep woods
under fallen leaves. They will also swim under
cover of the aquatic vegetation in your tank.
Feed newts twice weekly - chopped raw meat or
earthworms, mealworms, enchytreaus, tubifex, or
other insects. Remove any uneaten food from the
tank (if the scavengers don't assist) to reduce
mold contamination.
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Platys
Open shipping container at once. Float container
upright in aquarium of spring water about 10-15
minutes to equalize temperatures. When the
temperatures are equal (test with finger of
clean, soap-free hand), pour contents into a dip
net. Rinse with spring water, and quickly
transfer Platys to your aquarium. Discard
shipping water. A cover for your aquarium is
suggested to prevent escape. Provide live
floating plants such as Anacharis or Hornwort
for resting spots. No feeding will be needed
until class time in short-term holding.
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Sagittaria
Keep wet. Cover completely with spring water.
Place where it will receive some light but not
direct sunlight. Sagittaria should be rooted in
the gravel or sand of an aquarium filled with
spring water as soon as possible.
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Scavenger Set
Includes 2 aquatic snails, 2 freshwater fiddler
crabs, and 1 Chinese Algae Eater or Plecostomus.
These organisms will consume algae and debris
that occur in a natural ecosystem. If necessary,
fiddler crabs may be fed flake food, small
pieces of raw meat, or chopped earthworms. Do
not overfeed - every other day to twice per week
is sufficient.
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Snails - Land
Land snails are active only in a humid
environment. Place them in a prepared terrarium
as soon as possible. You may provide bran or
bone meal and potato slices for food.
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Snails - Pond
If snails are to be held for more than a few
hours before transfer to aquaria, place bag in
cup or similar upright container to prevent
tipping and open top of bag. Rinse with spring
water before transferring to aquaria.
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Tubifex Worms / Black Worms
Dump sand and worms into fine dip net. Rinse
with cold water and place sand and worms into
aquarium.
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Wax Moth Larvae
If storage is necessary, they may be held in
their shipping containers at 35 to 45 degrees
Fahrenheit for a short time.
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