The Importance of Secured Insect Transport
If you follow aviation news, you may remember an incident that happened about a month ago involving a Delta flight and a hairy tarantula. The flight was delayed by nearly three hours because the tarantula had escaped from its container in the cargo area. The baggage handlers were able to capture it fairly quickly, but then they had to track down the owner to figure out if the tarantula had any eight-legged friends traveling with him.
The story highlights the importance of properly securing insects that are being moved from one location to the next. At Vulcan Termite and Pest Control Inc. we know a thing or two about capturing, containing and getting rid of insects. If you are moving or plan to give a bug-lover a living gift this holiday season, here is what you need to know about transporting bugs!
Why Insects Have to be Securely Contained While Traveling
Secured transport is not just a matter of people wanting to keep creepy, crawling bugs out of first class. There are a number of potential health and environmental risks involved with relocating insects! These include:
- Insects getting lost or misplaced.
- Insects getting injured or killed.
- Risk of spreading disease.
- Possibility of creating an infestation.
The concerns are so great that there are restrictions in place for traveling with plants or produce that could be hiding insects to different places. Even freight transportation is starting to crack down on firewood shipping out of fears that destructive bugs could be introduced to new environments.
Despite the many concerns, as long as insects are securely contained they should pose no problem no matter what transportation method is used.
Tips for Transporting and Traveling With Insects
As with most moves, preparation is the key to safely transporting live insects. If you prefer to use USPS they have outlined specific directions for shipping certain types of insects. Here’s a look at the general best practices that apply whether insects are being transported by air, ground or sea.
- The insect should be evaluated to make sure it’s free of disease before transporting.
- Look up the laws in your state and in the destination that it is travelling to. Each state creates their own guidelines for what insects can and cannot be transported across state lines.
- Make copies of any paperwork you have on the insect.
- Check the prohibited animals list before transporting. Shippers and airlines each have their own list and endangered or threatened species typically can’t be transported.
- Use next day shipping. Live animals and insects need to be moved as quickly as possible, and most shippers will only do so using guaranteed next day delivery.
- Insects should be transported in containers that are solidly constructed and meet crush test requirements.
- If the insect requires water during transport use a waterproof container or box made of wax-coated cardboard or corrugated plastic.
- Never use a container that is airtight. The container should have small holes for ventilation.
- Put each insect in its own separate container within the package. Plastic, ventilated jars are highly recommended for transporting more than one bug.
- Always let the shipper or transportation company know that a live animal is being transported. That way they can make special arrangements to handle the container with extra care.
- Regularly track the package to make sure there are no delays.
Be prepared to pay additional fees for transporting live bugs. If there are more bugs that you want to get out of your house give Vulcan Termite and Pest Control Inc. a call! Our experienced technicians provide customized pest control treatments that can take care of any insect infestation and keep bugs in their own habitat where they belong.
Original Source: https://www.vulcantermite.com/education-and-prevention/the-importance-of-secured-insect-transport/