Ontario Invert Farm

12/04/2025

The OIF will be vending at this show.

If you plan on attending and wanted to place an order for pickup, just let us know! We'd be happy to have it packed and waiting for you there.

Looking forward to seeing you at the show!

https://unitytickets.com/se/RP050425/Ticket

06/04/2025

Happy to announce that dermestid beetles are back in stock!

These insects are the top choice of museums and taxidermy professionals for cleaning specimens. Now they can be yours too!

Available in lots of 50, 100, 250, 500, and 1000. DM for pricing and details.

12/03/2025

Montreal Insectarium

Some pictures from a recent visit to the insectarium in Montreal.

27/02/2025

The OIF will be vending at the expo in Montreal this coming weekend! Anyone who plans on attending that wants to place an order for pickup at the show, please let us know and we'd be happy to make it happen. See you there!

25/11/2024

The OIF has live polyphemus moth cocoons available for sale.

This giant silk moth gained its name from the eyespots on its hind wings, which drew connection to the Greek myth of the cyclops Polyphemus. With a wing span of six inches these large moths are impressive specimens.

Their wide host range not only makes them the most wide spread of the North American giant silk moths, but also one of the easiest to raise in captivity. This is a great beginner species for those interested in trying their hand at rearing Saturniidae moths.

Visit www.ontarioinvertfarm.com to order yours today.

20/11/2024

Hi everyone,

The OIF is back to regular operations now, with a few changes.

The most notable is how our isopods will be sold. There is a core group of species (laevis, pruinosus, and dwarf white) which will be available continuously. The remainder will be offered rotationally, with a select few made available every month. The monthly selection will be announced both on the website and on our social media pages. Expos will be the exception, with our full range of species available for purchase at shows.

No strike is going stop us from getting those bugs to you! For orders being shipped we’ve switched carriers to CanPar and Purolator, so order away with the assurance that things will still get to you without delay.

Since we have moved our center of operations the new pickup location is the Welcome Center in Grimsby, although delivery range remains roughly the same.

I appreciate people’s patience during our brief stoppage and look forward to supplying folks with high quality inverts for all their needs. Cheers!

23/09/2024

12/09/2024

To our valued customers,

From September 19th to October 22nd the OIF will be temporarily closed. The final day to submit an order for shipping before the shutdown will be September 16th. We will be resuming operations as normal later in October after the 22nd, although will have switched to our winter shipping.

During the period of time that we're down we will do our best to reply to all inquiries in a timely manner, however there may be a slight delay in response time.

We thank you for your patience and understanding during this time.

07/09/2024

Happy to announce that the Carolina locusts have now been observed mating. It took as long as til the start of September to see pairing for this species.

Part of the reason that grasshoppers like this aren't typically raised as feeders is that they take so much longer to reach sexual maturity than species like banded cricket. Species like the Carolina locust may reach their final molt within a reasonable time (if kept at optimal temperatures) however the delayed maturity really adds on to the generational time. With diapause the length of time to raise this species commercially is simply too long.

26/08/2024

Check out this super cool morph that was born in my Periccae colony! It's been isolated and I'm hoping the trait is inheritable since a line of these would be amazing.

11/08/2024

The second gen of the Luna moths have started to eclose! Hoping to see at least one female emerge from one of the three remaining cocoons but if not this guy will be released in a couple nights so he can go find his own mate.

Typically giant silk moths only last for little over a week - they lack functional mouth parts and sadly end up starving to death. Before that happens their entire focus is dedicated to mating and creating the next generation.

While their existence is brief, the beauty of these moths makes the effort of rearing them worthwhile. I will announce if and when ova become available.

;moth

01/08/2024

One of the new darkling species I'm working with. "Diaperis maculata" is probably one of the more colourful species from that family of beetles.

Still testing their use as a CUC and in a bioactive system, but just thought I'd share a couple pics regardless since they are such pretty little beetles.

28/07/2024

A new variety of pruinosus I've been working on are 'Cookies & Cream' which are a select cross of Oreo Crumbles and Creamsicle pruinosus. The result is a beautiful tricolour isopod that is my favourite morph of the species yet! I can't wait to see them once they've been refined in a few generations

21/07/2024

My grapevine beetle colony is thriving and pairing regularly.

This beetle is gorgeous and grows to a decent size, although sadly it is fairly short-lived as an adult.
Easy to rear and breed in captivity, the only "demanding" part of their care is that the adults require leaves of Virginia creeper or grape for food. Thankfully these food plants grow all over Ontario and easy to propagate.

I expect to have grubs available for sale by fall.

12/07/2024

The OIF is now offering FREE isopods, springtails, and other cleanup crew species with the purchase of DISCOID or SURINAM starter colonies.

Purchase of DISCOIDS will be accompanied by pruinosus 'party mix', tropical pink springtails, and buffalo worms.

If SURINAMS are bought they will be sent along with dwarf white isopods and small silver springtails.

Check out ontarioinvertfarm.com to see these and the other great deals & extras we have available.