iHerp at LARGE.
BioSupplies - more than a
million crickets every month!
That’s how many crickets BioSupplies produce on a
monthly basis. To say nothing of woodies, meal
worms, giant (or king) mealworms, Black Soldier Fly
larvae, House Fly pupae and Silkworms. In addition
to the live food items, they also provide frozen rats,
mice, quail, rabbits and crickets, along with reptile
husbandry equipment.
turnover, and we asked Karen the secret of their
success.
“We’ve been in the industry for a long time, and have
acquired a wealth of knowledge,’ says Karen. ‘We
understand the importance of outstanding service
and quality, and reliable, hassle-free delivery. Our
customers are treated like family, and we pride
BioSupplies supplies live and frozen foods to hobby- ourselves on building relationships and getting to
ists, wildlife carers and institutions around the
know them and their pets.’
country and offers door-to-door same day or next
day delivery to most locations. We’re talking to
BioSupplies staff of 12 are fastidious in maintaining
Karen, who co-owns the business along with her
their live food cultures. ‘It’s very labour-intensive and
father, Peter. A well-known industry figure, Peter
it’s hot work but it has to be done,’ Karen tells us.
started his first pet store in Sydney in 1978. Plaza
‘We have strict protocols in place to ensure our live
Pet World became something of an institution and
food ranges are pest free, healthy, and full of
was successful for more than 30 years. After a few
goodness. Our crickets are fed on quality, organic,
more pet stores, Peter and Karen purchased an
high-protein pellets (including vitamins and minerals)
aquarium wholesale business, and then BioSupplies as well as a variety of fresh vegetables.’
(an existing business started in 2008) in about 2010.
Since taking over, Karen and Peter have quadrupled What sort of clientele do they service?
‘We don’t have a minimum order, and deliver
‘hundreds of consignments of live foods to regular
customers every week. Many go to reptile hobby-
ists and pet stores, as well as wildlife carers.
Taronga Zoo and the Australian Reptile Park are a
couple of our largest consumers.’
1.
And has Karen seen any changes in live food
preferences amongst reptile keepers?
‘Well, Black Soldier Fly larvae are now being bred in
much larger numbers and are something of a ‘super
food’. We find many keepers prefer them to woodies,
which are relatively hard to handle and escape
easily. Black Soldier Fly larvae are an everyday
food, like crickets, but are much easier to keep as
you don’t have to feed them. They are packed with
amino acids and are low in fat – a great food.’
What is their shelf life?
‘They will pupate faster in warmer weather; in
summer they should last about 10 days, and in
winter that increases to about two weeks. We also
offer smaller size larvae which are ideal for smaller
frogs.’
1.
2.