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Honey Bees and Other Bees

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Regulation

7 CFR 322 - Bees, Beekeeping ByProducts, and Beekeeping Equipment Regulations

APHIS does not regulate the interstate movement of bees in the continental United

States. Interstate movement and importation of bees into Hawaii is prohibited.

Canada prohibits the transit of honey bees from the lower 48 states to Alaska.

Restricted Articles

The following are considered to be Restricted Articles:

Dead bees of any genus

Beeswax for beekeeping

Honey for bee feed

For information on importing them see " Restricted Articles and Organism" and 7

CFR 322.28. Bee-collected pollen for bee feed cannot be imported from any country.

Royal jelly may be imported for bee feed for scientific purposes under permit.”

For the requirements for importing bees see General Shipping Requirements for the

Importation of Honey Bees and then check for specific requirements for the

originating country. If the combination of bee species and country is not listed, the
importation is restricted to Universities and State/Federal Government Agencies with

plant pest permits for research purposes.

Apply for a Permit - Use PPQ Form 526, Application for permit to move live plant

pests or noxious weeds

Importation of Honey Bees (Apis mellifera

mellifera) and Beekeeping Equipment

Adult queen honey bees and package bees (worker bees, drones, with a queen) can

be imported into the continental United States (i.e. not including Hawaii) from

Canada and New Zealand:

General Shipping Requirements for the

Importation of Honey Bees

Whole colonies in hive bodies cannot be imported from any country.

Used beekeeping equipment cannot be imported from any country for use in

beekeeping.

adult honey bees from any country other than Canada and New Zealand and

honey bee brood from any country are restricted.

Importation of honey bee queens and package bees from Australia is

prohibited.

Importation of Bees other than Honey Bees

The following five species can be imported from Canada under the Requirements for

the Importation of Bees other than Honey Bees:

Bumblebees of the species, Bombus impatiens and Bombus occidentalis

Alfalfa leafcutter bee, Megachile rotundata

Blue orchard bee, Osmia lignaria

Horn-faced bee, Osmia cornifrons

Bees other than honey bees and the five species listed above are restricted.
Importation of Honey Bee Germplasm

Honey Bee germplasm can be imported from Australia, Bermuda, Canada, France,

Great Britain, New Zealand, and Sweden provided the following the conditions are

met in the Requirements for the Importation of Honey Bee Germplasm. For honey

Bee germ plasm from any other country see the section on Importation of Restricted

Articles and Organisms. Importation of Restricted Articles (7 CFR 322.28) and

Organisms (7 CFR 322.13)

Restricted organisms can only be imported for university and/or State/Federal

Government research. Importation of restricted organisms requires a PPQ 526 Plant

Pest Permit. Details for applying on-line can be found at the e-File Website.

Restricted organisms require specific consideration when importing or transiting the

United States. Importation of restricted articles and organisms requires that PPQ 599

shipping labels (red-and-white) that we provide to you upon issuance of the permit,

be adhered to the exterior of each package and that the package must be addressed

to the PPQ inspection station identified on the label. If a package is not addressed to

the inspection station or if the label is not attached to the exterior of the package, it

will be refused entry to the United States. If importing in your personal luggage

aboard aircraft or vehicle (i.e., hand-carrying), then your permit must authorize this

and the individuals hand-carrying must be identified. As stated in the permit

conditions pertaining to hand-carrying, you must notify us at least 20 days prior to

each incident so that we can issue special shipping labels for the specific incident

and we can contact Customs and Border Protection, Agricultural Inspection, at the

first port-of-entry. Failure to notify us prior to a hand-carry incident will result in the

confiscation or refusal of entry of the restricted articles or organisms, even if you

possess a permit that authorizes hand-carrying.

Information about Shipping Requirements and

Red and White Labels

Information about Inspections

For questions about permits for regulated organisms and soil:
Pest Permits Team

Email: pest.permits@usda.gov

Phone: 301-851-2285

Alt-Phone: 866-524-5421