Order Deadlines and Shipping Schedules
Biocontrols ship the week following order placement because they are brought in fresh each week from the insectaries we partner with. Most other items are kept on hand at our warehouse. Please take note of the order deadlines for each biocontrol. The deadline for most biocontrols is Friday at noon PST for shipment on Wednesday the following week. If you order before that deadline, the biocontrols will ship the following week. If you order after that deadline, the biocontrols will be placed on backorder for the week after the following week.
Orders for biocontrols will ship separately from other product categories on our website. What this means for you is that orders for non-biocontrol products will ship when they are received (unless on backorder), Monday through Friday.
Examples:
A bottle of parasitoid wasps has an ordering deadline of Thursday January 7th at 10am. You place the order on Wednesday January 6th. The order was within the deadline, so it will ship the following Tuesday or Wednesday (January 12th or 13th).
Someone else places the same order on Friday January 8th. Their order was past the ordering deadline so will ship Tuesday or Wednesday of the week after next (January 19th or 20th).
Another person places their order at the same time you do (Wednesday January 6th), but also adds a pesticide to their cart. The pesticide ships the same day the order was placed, while the biocontrols ship separately the following Tuesday or Wednesday (January 12th or 13th).
Shipping Methods
All biocontrols shipped outside of Washington State will ship FedEx Overnight. This is to ensure prompt delivery of live organisms.
Due to recent issues with FedEx Ground Services in Western Washington, biocontrol orders shipping West of the Cascades will now ship via UPS Ground, and biocontrol orders shipping East of the Cascades will ship FedEx Standard Overnight.
There may be delays due to unforeseen circumstances like weather or holidays that result in late deliveries. Many biocontrols will be okay with an additional day of transit, but please let us know if there are any issues within 24 hours of receiving the items. When the box arrives, open it and check for moldy smells and make sure ice packs are still cool if present. An IR thermometer can come in handy for monitoring internal temperatures of boxes as they arrive
Carts will automatically be split into different packages if biocontrols and other products are on the same order. You will not need to create two separate orders to complete the transaction.
Local Pickup
For our customers located within convenient driving distance of Bellingham we offer the option of local pickup. Biocontrol orders will typically be available the next Wednesday after your time of order if it was placed before the deadline. The pick-up window is noon-5:00 PM and you will be contacted via the information provided during checkout when your order is ready for pick-up. Sound Horticulture is not responsible for the condition of any biocontrols picked up late.