iHerp Australia Issue 11 | Page 32

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.