Post by admin on Dec 9, 2011 17:03:26 GMT -8
Q: How do I become a member of InsectNet.com?
A: There is no 'membership' required for InsectNet.com as a whole. This is a free site supported by our advertisers and user contributions from the 'Tip Jar'. But you will need to register and get passwords for the Insect Classifieds, the Entomology Auctions, and the Forum sections if you want to participate in these areas. Each program has a separate registration system. All of these programs are free services.
Q: I want to sell my insects. Does InsectNet.com buy insects?
A: InsectNet.com does not buy or sell specimens at this time. Rather, we offer a venue for insect traders to contact each other worldwide. InsectNet.com is one of the most popular English-language insect trading portals on the Web.
Q: How do I spread butterflies and mount insects?
A: There are many places on InsectNet.com that cover this subject. Try looking in the Link Library under 'Collecting & Preserving Techniques'. Also, check the InsectNet.com Forum. There are many discussions in the Forum on this subject. Use the Forum Search function to find them. We also have a few videos on this subject. They can be found in the Instructional Videos section. Remember that there are many techniques and each collector has their own favorite methods. You will have to do your homework to see which methods suit you best.
Q: I need to identify an insect. How do I get help on this?
A: We have a special section in the InsectNet.com Forum named Bug Identification for help on identification. There are many experts there that can help you with the ID. Post a message there. You will get the best results if you have a clear, close up picture of the insect you want to identify. Make sure to say when and where the bug was found. You must have a Forum account to post messages or reply to messages.
Q: I have a bug pest problem in my house. How do I get rid of them?
A: We'd like to help but this kind of question is best directed towards professional insect exterminators. I have found a great web site just for this purpose. It is called 'Living With Bugs - Least-toxic Solutions to Everyday Bug Problems'. This free site will help you indentify the offending beasts and offer solutions to get rid of them in a safe manner. Such as, safe elimination of wasp nests, etc. Please go to: www.livingwithbugs.com.
Q: How do I know if a seller in the Insect Classifieds is trustworthy?
A: Good question. As with all classifieds in the newspaper or the Internet (and auctions too), there are risks involved if you send money or merchandise in advance to persons you do not know, especially if they are not local. I am doing my very best as adminstrator of this site to screen out suspicious ads in the Classified. Also, we have a special forum section called 'Insect Trading Reports' were users submit reviews of traders on this site and discuss issues of fraud. You should read this thoroughly so you will understand how to proceed judicioulsy in the Insect Classifieds. Please go to The Insect Trading Reports and do your homework. You will need to have a Forum account plus an extra sub-password to read the reports. Tip: Use the Site Search function to search on the name, e-mail, or web site of a trader to see if they have any reviews on this site.
Q: I placed a warning in the Classifieds about a bad trader, but the ad never appeared. Why?
A: The Insect Classifieds is for buy/sell/trade ads only. In general 'Bad trader' ads should not be posted to the Classifieds for several reasons: 1) The accused needs to have some recourse to defend themselves and The Insect Classifieds is not set up as a discussion board. 2) If bad trader reports are allowed in the Classifieds then the board will get flooded with charges and countercharges. It becomes a food fight and a distraction to online shoppers. So, please post your warning in the InsectNet.com Forum/Insect Trading Reports. In the Forum your message will go on permanent record and be available to our Site Search engine. Our readers will appreciate it and they can comment on the public record for all to see. If you are not already a member of the Forum you will need to register to get a password for posting messages and replying to messages - and you will need an additional sub-password to get into the Trading Reports area. The Forum is a free service.
Q: I placed an ad to sell some specimens in the Insect Classifieds but it never appeared. Why?
A: First, remember that all ads in the Insect Classifieds must be approved by the administrator before they will appear, as is stated in the ad confirmation e-mail that you received. I as administrator do my best to check the submitted ads as frequently as I can, but there will be gaps while I am away from my computer or busy at my day job. There will be longer gaps if I am away on a field trip, typically on weekends in spring and summer. So, please be patient for your ad to appear. If your ad does not appear within 24 hours it is likely that your ad does not follow the Insect Classifieds Guidelines or InsectNet.com Policy and it was deleted.
Q: Do I need a permit to ship live insects, live cocoons, or live insect ova across state lines in the USA?
A:You will need a permit for each species that you want to import into your state. If you export to another state, it is the primarily the receiver's responsibility to have the permits. These kind of permits are controlled by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). The USDA is especially concerned about interstate shipment of agricultural pests or live insects that are harmful in other ways (such as fire ants, killer bees, mosquitos, etc.). They also regulate the interstate shipment of live butterflies for ceremonial release (for weddings, etc.) And, technically, even the domestic moths and butterflies that you rear at home as a hobby come under these regulations - if you intend to export or import that livestock across state lines. The permitting process is a bit confusing but if you intend to do interstate shipping of live insects you should investigate getting the proper permits. For more information go to our USDA page. You should also know that it is illegal to ship any live insect (in any form) or live millipedes across state lines if that species is not native to the USA. No permits are granted for this, so don't even try. Fines for violations are steep.
Q: Do I need a permit to import dead insect specimens into the USA from other countries?
A: Yes. You will also need the permit to export out of the USA. This kind of permit is issued by the United State Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). For more information go to our USFWS page in the Policy section on the main menu.
Q: How do I set up a link exchange with InsectNet.com and my web site?
A: InsectNet.com does not do link exchanges in the traditional sense. You are welcome, however, to place a link for InsectNet.com on your web site. But if you want me to place your link on the InsectNet Links page for free, there are two conditions: 1) your web site must be non-profit and 2) it must be of interest to insect collectors. To submit your link for a free listing go to the 'Contact' form in the main menu at the top. If your web site is for-profit you can get it listed in our Suppliers and Traders Directory for $24.00 per year. Please go to the Advertising page for details. The reason I do not put up free links of for-profit web sites is that I need to make some money to cover the costs of running InsectNet.com, since this site is all free and does not sell any other 'products' except advertising. Thank you for your understanding.
Q: Can I place a free announcement on InsectNet.com about an event I am sponsoring?
A: Absolutely YES! - if your event is of interest to insect collectors. InsectNet.com is very announcement-friendly. There are two ways to do this: 1) Go to the Insect Classifieds and post information on your event in the 'Annoucements' category. A free service. 2) Go to the InsectNet.com Forum and post your announcement in the 'Announcements' section. Also a free service. My suggestion is to post in both places, well in advance of your event date. Also, conact me about a free link to your announcement on the home page of InsectNet.com. I am especially interested in promoting insect trade shows and I will bend over backward to help you on this.
Q: I lost my password.
A: There are three areas of InsectNet.com where passwords are used: The Forum, Entomology Auctions, and the Insect Classifieds. Each application uses a different password system. This is because I have put this site together using the best software applications I could find for three different specialized purposes. Unfortunately, they do not share a common user registration database.
Q: I signed up for a Auction account but I never got my password by e-mail. What happened?
A: There may be some delay before you get the e-mail. If after one hour you don't receive your password, then check your Spam folder. These kind of e-mails are often filtered by spam blockers. If you can't find the e-mail there please contact me and I will look up your Auction password and send it to you.
Q: My Forum password doesn't seem to work for the Insect Classifieds and visa versa.
A: The Forum, the Insect Classifieds, and the Entomology Auctions all use separate databases. Thus you must register separately for an account in each program you wish to participate in. Your username/password combination in one program will not necessarily work in another program - unless you registered with identical information. So, if your password doesn't work in a program it means you either entered it incorrectly or you are not actually registered in that program and the program doesn't recognize you. Please register in each program you want to use. Keep in mind that your username in a program cannot be changed once you register (but passwords CAN be changed later).
Q: How do I change my Forum or Auction username?
A: This is not possible. Sorry.
Q: How do I get a user account for The Insect Classifieds?
A: Click on 'My Profile' in the Insect Classifieds menu bar. In the Logon screen that appears you will see a link that reads 'New Users: Please Register For An Account'. Click on this link and follow the instructions therein.
Q: I won/sold an item in the Auctions but I was not notified by e-mail with the contact information of the buyer/seller as I was expecting. Why?
A: Sometimes Entomology Auctions users do not receive the expected confirmation e-mails when an auction closes. These are the e-mails that inform the seller who has won their item and how to get in contact with them and inform the winning bidder how to get in contact with the seller, etc. Occasionally these e-mails do not get to the proper destinations. What to do?
Sometimes we change our e-mail and forget that our old e-mail is still in our Entomology Auctions profile. Needless to say, you are not going to get any Auction messages if this is the case, even though you can still bid on items and post auctions! Make sure your Entomology Auctions e-mail is current before you go any further. If you know your e-mail has changed since you registered in the Auctions, login to the Auction site and select Update Your Registration in the Auction menu. Enter your current e-mail address and save it.
Once you have eliminated this possibility, there remain other possible reasons why you didn't get the expected e-mail: 1) the e-mail may get filtered by the recipient's spam system (check your spam folder) or 2) there is some kind of 'disagreement' between the InsectNet.com mail server and the recipient's mail server. For example, the insectnet.com domain could be blocked by your e-mail server. This could easily happen because of hackers and spammers flooding the Internet with forged e-mail for the purpose of defrauding people. InsectNet.com has been a victim of forged e-mails, so we may be blocked on some ISPs. Check with your ISP to make sure InsectNet.com is not blocked.
Anyway, not to worry in any case. If you don't receive the expected e-mail at the close of an auction you can still view all the contact information you need on the auction site, whether you are the seller or the winning bidder. All auction records are held for 46 days. To view your auction records, click on 'View Your Closed Won/Sold' in the auction menu. In the page that appears select 'ITEMS YOU SOLD IN THE LAST 46 DAYS' or 'ITEMS YOU BID ON AND WON IN THE LAST 46 DAYS'. You will then be prompted for your auction username and password. Once you are logged in you will see a list of your auction transactions. Select an item to view in the list. When the item page opens, scroll to the very bottom of the page and you will see the full contact information of the buyer or seller of that item, including their e-mail address.
Q: I won/sold an auction item. I DID receive the confirmation e-mail with the contact information of the buyer/seller. I have contacted them to finalize the payment and shipping for this item but they did not reply. What should I do?
A: First of all, you should wait at least 7 days for a reply. Understand that people are busy and not always able to answer immediately. Just to be sure, send your message again after 3 days if you don't get a reply. If after 7 days you do not receive a reply then you can consider the other person a deliquent Auction user. In this case, if you were the seller, you can block this user from bidding on any of your future auctions and post negative feedback on the auction transaction. If you were the buyer, you should post a negative feedback on the auction transaction. See the Auction Help files for details and instruction on these functions.
Q: I need to contact a seller in the Entomology Auctions. How can I do that?
A: As in most online auctions, including eBay, the seller's e-mail is not shown to the viewers or bidders. This is as it should be, to prevent collusion or bidding manipulation before the bidding has closed. Of course, the winning bidder of an item will receive the seller's full contact information at the close of an auction. So, if the seller has not posted their contact information in their auction listings it means they want that information to remain confidential to the general public. If this is the case, do not ask me for that information. But if you want to ask a question of a seller in a public forum, go to one of their auction pages and click on the 'Ask seller a question' link in upper right. You will come to a form where you can post your question. (You will need to be a registered auction user to do this.) Your question will be sent to the seller and it will also be posted in the question/answer area of that auction item for all others to see. The seller may answer your question in that space if they choose to do so. You will notified by e-mail if they do post an anwser and you can then go to the Auctions to view that answer.
Q: I placed a proxy bid on an Auction item. I then tried to increase that proxy bid later but was not allowed to do it. Why?
A: Increasing a proxy bid amount IS allowed in eBay, but this function is not possible in our Entomology Auctions. Sorry. You will have to wait until your maximum bid is outbid by someone else before you can place another bid on that item.
A: There is no 'membership' required for InsectNet.com as a whole. This is a free site supported by our advertisers and user contributions from the 'Tip Jar'. But you will need to register and get passwords for the Insect Classifieds, the Entomology Auctions, and the Forum sections if you want to participate in these areas. Each program has a separate registration system. All of these programs are free services.
Q: I want to sell my insects. Does InsectNet.com buy insects?
A: InsectNet.com does not buy or sell specimens at this time. Rather, we offer a venue for insect traders to contact each other worldwide. InsectNet.com is one of the most popular English-language insect trading portals on the Web.
- To increase your insect-related business and make contacts, you are welcome to post free ads in our Insect Classifieds section: classifieds.insectnet.com
- Also, we would welcome your participation in the InsectNet.com Forum, a discussion board for insect collectors and traders: insectnet.proboards.com. Click the 'Register' link at the top of the Forum lobby page to get your password for posting and replying to messages. A free service.
- To participate in auctions on the Entomology Auctions page, click on the 'Register' link in the toolbar at the top of the auction home page: www.insectnet.com/cgi/auction/auction.pl
- For paid advertising, such as banners and listings, see this page for rates: www.insectnet.com/advertising.htm
Q: How do I spread butterflies and mount insects?
A: There are many places on InsectNet.com that cover this subject. Try looking in the Link Library under 'Collecting & Preserving Techniques'. Also, check the InsectNet.com Forum. There are many discussions in the Forum on this subject. Use the Forum Search function to find them. We also have a few videos on this subject. They can be found in the Instructional Videos section. Remember that there are many techniques and each collector has their own favorite methods. You will have to do your homework to see which methods suit you best.
Q: I need to identify an insect. How do I get help on this?
A: We have a special section in the InsectNet.com Forum named Bug Identification for help on identification. There are many experts there that can help you with the ID. Post a message there. You will get the best results if you have a clear, close up picture of the insect you want to identify. Make sure to say when and where the bug was found. You must have a Forum account to post messages or reply to messages.
Q: I have a bug pest problem in my house. How do I get rid of them?
A: We'd like to help but this kind of question is best directed towards professional insect exterminators. I have found a great web site just for this purpose. It is called 'Living With Bugs - Least-toxic Solutions to Everyday Bug Problems'. This free site will help you indentify the offending beasts and offer solutions to get rid of them in a safe manner. Such as, safe elimination of wasp nests, etc. Please go to: www.livingwithbugs.com.
Q: How do I know if a seller in the Insect Classifieds is trustworthy?
A: Good question. As with all classifieds in the newspaper or the Internet (and auctions too), there are risks involved if you send money or merchandise in advance to persons you do not know, especially if they are not local. I am doing my very best as adminstrator of this site to screen out suspicious ads in the Classified. Also, we have a special forum section called 'Insect Trading Reports' were users submit reviews of traders on this site and discuss issues of fraud. You should read this thoroughly so you will understand how to proceed judicioulsy in the Insect Classifieds. Please go to The Insect Trading Reports and do your homework. You will need to have a Forum account plus an extra sub-password to read the reports. Tip: Use the Site Search function to search on the name, e-mail, or web site of a trader to see if they have any reviews on this site.
Q: I placed a warning in the Classifieds about a bad trader, but the ad never appeared. Why?
A: The Insect Classifieds is for buy/sell/trade ads only. In general 'Bad trader' ads should not be posted to the Classifieds for several reasons: 1) The accused needs to have some recourse to defend themselves and The Insect Classifieds is not set up as a discussion board. 2) If bad trader reports are allowed in the Classifieds then the board will get flooded with charges and countercharges. It becomes a food fight and a distraction to online shoppers. So, please post your warning in the InsectNet.com Forum/Insect Trading Reports. In the Forum your message will go on permanent record and be available to our Site Search engine. Our readers will appreciate it and they can comment on the public record for all to see. If you are not already a member of the Forum you will need to register to get a password for posting messages and replying to messages - and you will need an additional sub-password to get into the Trading Reports area. The Forum is a free service.
Q: I placed an ad to sell some specimens in the Insect Classifieds but it never appeared. Why?
A: First, remember that all ads in the Insect Classifieds must be approved by the administrator before they will appear, as is stated in the ad confirmation e-mail that you received. I as administrator do my best to check the submitted ads as frequently as I can, but there will be gaps while I am away from my computer or busy at my day job. There will be longer gaps if I am away on a field trip, typically on weekends in spring and summer. So, please be patient for your ad to appear. If your ad does not appear within 24 hours it is likely that your ad does not follow the Insect Classifieds Guidelines or InsectNet.com Policy and it was deleted.
Q: Do I need a permit to ship live insects, live cocoons, or live insect ova across state lines in the USA?
A:You will need a permit for each species that you want to import into your state. If you export to another state, it is the primarily the receiver's responsibility to have the permits. These kind of permits are controlled by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). The USDA is especially concerned about interstate shipment of agricultural pests or live insects that are harmful in other ways (such as fire ants, killer bees, mosquitos, etc.). They also regulate the interstate shipment of live butterflies for ceremonial release (for weddings, etc.) And, technically, even the domestic moths and butterflies that you rear at home as a hobby come under these regulations - if you intend to export or import that livestock across state lines. The permitting process is a bit confusing but if you intend to do interstate shipping of live insects you should investigate getting the proper permits. For more information go to our USDA page. You should also know that it is illegal to ship any live insect (in any form) or live millipedes across state lines if that species is not native to the USA. No permits are granted for this, so don't even try. Fines for violations are steep.
Q: Do I need a permit to import dead insect specimens into the USA from other countries?
A: Yes. You will also need the permit to export out of the USA. This kind of permit is issued by the United State Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). For more information go to our USFWS page in the Policy section on the main menu.
Q: How do I set up a link exchange with InsectNet.com and my web site?
A: InsectNet.com does not do link exchanges in the traditional sense. You are welcome, however, to place a link for InsectNet.com on your web site. But if you want me to place your link on the InsectNet Links page for free, there are two conditions: 1) your web site must be non-profit and 2) it must be of interest to insect collectors. To submit your link for a free listing go to the 'Contact' form in the main menu at the top. If your web site is for-profit you can get it listed in our Suppliers and Traders Directory for $24.00 per year. Please go to the Advertising page for details. The reason I do not put up free links of for-profit web sites is that I need to make some money to cover the costs of running InsectNet.com, since this site is all free and does not sell any other 'products' except advertising. Thank you for your understanding.
Q: Can I place a free announcement on InsectNet.com about an event I am sponsoring?
A: Absolutely YES! - if your event is of interest to insect collectors. InsectNet.com is very announcement-friendly. There are two ways to do this: 1) Go to the Insect Classifieds and post information on your event in the 'Annoucements' category. A free service. 2) Go to the InsectNet.com Forum and post your announcement in the 'Announcements' section. Also a free service. My suggestion is to post in both places, well in advance of your event date. Also, conact me about a free link to your announcement on the home page of InsectNet.com. I am especially interested in promoting insect trade shows and I will bend over backward to help you on this.
Q: I lost my password.
A: There are three areas of InsectNet.com where passwords are used: The Forum, Entomology Auctions, and the Insect Classifieds. Each application uses a different password system. This is because I have put this site together using the best software applications I could find for three different specialized purposes. Unfortunately, they do not share a common user registration database.
- Retrieving InsectNet.com Forum passwords: Click on the 'Forgot your password?' link in the Forum login screen. You will need to submit the e-mail you used to register with.
- Retrieving your Auction password and/or alias: Go to the link menu on the right side of the main Auction page (or the 'Site Links Dropdown Menu' in the upper left) and click on the 'Forgot Password?' link. In the form that opens you will be required to enter your Auction 'alias' (user name) and the e-mail you used to register for the Auction. After submitting this information, your Auction password will be sent to you by e-mail. If you can't remember your Auction alias (user name) then click on the 'Forgot User Name?' link in the help menu. In this form you will be required to enter the e-mail address you used to register for the Auction. Your alias will be sent to you by e-mail.
- Retrieving your Insect Classifieds username and/or password: Click on 'My Profile' in the Insect Classifieds menu. In the Logon form that appears, click the 'Forgot Password' or 'Forgot Username' link. Then follow the instructions to retrieve your information by e-mail.
Q: I signed up for a Auction account but I never got my password by e-mail. What happened?
A: There may be some delay before you get the e-mail. If after one hour you don't receive your password, then check your Spam folder. These kind of e-mails are often filtered by spam blockers. If you can't find the e-mail there please contact me and I will look up your Auction password and send it to you.
Q: My Forum password doesn't seem to work for the Insect Classifieds and visa versa.
A: The Forum, the Insect Classifieds, and the Entomology Auctions all use separate databases. Thus you must register separately for an account in each program you wish to participate in. Your username/password combination in one program will not necessarily work in another program - unless you registered with identical information. So, if your password doesn't work in a program it means you either entered it incorrectly or you are not actually registered in that program and the program doesn't recognize you. Please register in each program you want to use. Keep in mind that your username in a program cannot be changed once you register (but passwords CAN be changed later).
Q: How do I change my Forum or Auction username?
A: This is not possible. Sorry.
Q: How do I get a user account for The Insect Classifieds?
A: Click on 'My Profile' in the Insect Classifieds menu bar. In the Logon screen that appears you will see a link that reads 'New Users: Please Register For An Account'. Click on this link and follow the instructions therein.
Q: I won/sold an item in the Auctions but I was not notified by e-mail with the contact information of the buyer/seller as I was expecting. Why?
A: Sometimes Entomology Auctions users do not receive the expected confirmation e-mails when an auction closes. These are the e-mails that inform the seller who has won their item and how to get in contact with them and inform the winning bidder how to get in contact with the seller, etc. Occasionally these e-mails do not get to the proper destinations. What to do?
Sometimes we change our e-mail and forget that our old e-mail is still in our Entomology Auctions profile. Needless to say, you are not going to get any Auction messages if this is the case, even though you can still bid on items and post auctions! Make sure your Entomology Auctions e-mail is current before you go any further. If you know your e-mail has changed since you registered in the Auctions, login to the Auction site and select Update Your Registration in the Auction menu. Enter your current e-mail address and save it.
Once you have eliminated this possibility, there remain other possible reasons why you didn't get the expected e-mail: 1) the e-mail may get filtered by the recipient's spam system (check your spam folder) or 2) there is some kind of 'disagreement' between the InsectNet.com mail server and the recipient's mail server. For example, the insectnet.com domain could be blocked by your e-mail server. This could easily happen because of hackers and spammers flooding the Internet with forged e-mail for the purpose of defrauding people. InsectNet.com has been a victim of forged e-mails, so we may be blocked on some ISPs. Check with your ISP to make sure InsectNet.com is not blocked.
Anyway, not to worry in any case. If you don't receive the expected e-mail at the close of an auction you can still view all the contact information you need on the auction site, whether you are the seller or the winning bidder. All auction records are held for 46 days. To view your auction records, click on 'View Your Closed Won/Sold' in the auction menu. In the page that appears select 'ITEMS YOU SOLD IN THE LAST 46 DAYS' or 'ITEMS YOU BID ON AND WON IN THE LAST 46 DAYS'. You will then be prompted for your auction username and password. Once you are logged in you will see a list of your auction transactions. Select an item to view in the list. When the item page opens, scroll to the very bottom of the page and you will see the full contact information of the buyer or seller of that item, including their e-mail address.
Q: I won/sold an auction item. I DID receive the confirmation e-mail with the contact information of the buyer/seller. I have contacted them to finalize the payment and shipping for this item but they did not reply. What should I do?
A: First of all, you should wait at least 7 days for a reply. Understand that people are busy and not always able to answer immediately. Just to be sure, send your message again after 3 days if you don't get a reply. If after 7 days you do not receive a reply then you can consider the other person a deliquent Auction user. In this case, if you were the seller, you can block this user from bidding on any of your future auctions and post negative feedback on the auction transaction. If you were the buyer, you should post a negative feedback on the auction transaction. See the Auction Help files for details and instruction on these functions.
Q: I need to contact a seller in the Entomology Auctions. How can I do that?
A: As in most online auctions, including eBay, the seller's e-mail is not shown to the viewers or bidders. This is as it should be, to prevent collusion or bidding manipulation before the bidding has closed. Of course, the winning bidder of an item will receive the seller's full contact information at the close of an auction. So, if the seller has not posted their contact information in their auction listings it means they want that information to remain confidential to the general public. If this is the case, do not ask me for that information. But if you want to ask a question of a seller in a public forum, go to one of their auction pages and click on the 'Ask seller a question' link in upper right. You will come to a form where you can post your question. (You will need to be a registered auction user to do this.) Your question will be sent to the seller and it will also be posted in the question/answer area of that auction item for all others to see. The seller may answer your question in that space if they choose to do so. You will notified by e-mail if they do post an anwser and you can then go to the Auctions to view that answer.
Q: I placed a proxy bid on an Auction item. I then tried to increase that proxy bid later but was not allowed to do it. Why?
A: Increasing a proxy bid amount IS allowed in eBay, but this function is not possible in our Entomology Auctions. Sorry. You will have to wait until your maximum bid is outbid by someone else before you can place another bid on that item.