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Transit of Live Bees through the

Contiguous United States

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The regulations covering the importation of honey bees and other pollinator bees

into the contiguous United States were revised. The new regulations went into effect

22 November 2004 (7 CFR 322).

The Following General Restrictions Apply to the

Transit of Live Honey Bees, Bee Byproducts, and

Bee Equipment

Whole colonies in hive bodies cannot transit from any country; only queen bees

with attendants and package bees are authorized.

Used beekeeping equipment cannot transit.

Beeswax for beekeeping requires special treatment as noted under Importation

or Transit of Restricted Articles and Organisms (7 CFR 322.28-32).

Honey for bee feed cannot transit without special treatment noted under

Importation or Transit of Restricted Articles and Organisms (7 CFR 322.28-32).

Pollen cannot transit the United States.
General Shipping Requirements for Transit of

Honey Bees from...

Canada and New Zealand

General Shipping Requirements for Transit of Honey Bees from

Canada and New Zealand

Shipments can be transloaded between aircraft in the continental United

States. Bees from Canada and New Zealand can transit the continental United

States by land provided the requirements noted below are met.

The exporter must have all of the colonies from which the bees originate

inspected by an official approved by the appropriate government regulatory

agency of the exporting country no more than 10 days prior to shipment. This

inspection will result in a Honey Bee Export Certificate that must accompany

the shipment. The official export certificate must detail any diseases, parasites,

or undesirable species or subspecies of honey bee found during the inspection.

If the export certificate identifies a bee disease or parasite of concern to the

United States, including, but not limited to, Thai sacbrood virus, Tropilaelaps

clareae, and Euvarroa sinhai, or an undesirable species or subspecies of honey

bee, then the shipment will be refused transit through the United States.

The shipment must have the official government agency honey bee export

certificate along with a manifest that details the full contents of the shipment.

The importer must notify APHIS of the pending shipment 10 or more days prior

to transit. Contact information for APHIS Headquarters is noted below. APHIS

can be notified by email, fax, or surface mail. The information must include the

full name, address, and phone number of the consignee and the consignor, and

full details of the airline flight arriving in the United States. You must also

provide full details of how many queens or packages of bees will be shipped.

APHIS will forward the information to Customs and Border Protection Agriculture

Inspection (CBP AI) but will not make any further arrangements for delivery.

APHIS PPQ

Pests, Pathogens, and Biocontrol Permits, Unit 133

4700 River Road

Riverdale, Maryland 20737
Facsimile 301-734-8700 or 301-734-5392

The export certificate must detail the origin of the genetic stock. All honey bees

must be derived from colonies that originated in Canada or New Zealand.

If the bees are to be picked up at the airport (Canada and New Zealand origin

only), the importer must make arrangements for 1) inspection and 2) transfer

for pick-up. Before arrival at the port you must make arrangements with

Customs and Border Protection Agriculture Inspection for inspection and

customs clearance. You must also make arrangements with a broker to pick-up

the bees. You will not be able to meet the aircraft. The broker will transport the

bees to a location where you can pick them up. APHIS Headquarters can

provide information following receipt of the required 10 day notification.

If the bees are being shipped by an express package delivery service you do

not need to contact the airport but you must still provide the 10 day notification

to APHIS prior to arrival in the United States.

The bees must be packaged in a manner that will prevent the escape of any

bee or bee pest. If the shipment is palletized the pallet must be completely

wrapped on all sides with the appropriate mesh as noted for the specific

country requirements.

The package must be manifested to read live bees.

The package must be labeled on all sides with letters 1 inch tall or more that

read live bees.

New Zealand

Honey bees from New Zealand must arrive to the continental United States on

a non-stop flight.

The honey bee export certificate must be prepared by an approved official of

the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) and must be on the approved

official document prepared no more than 10 days prior to shipment.

If the shipment is on a pallet the pallet must be completely covered with a

material with a mesh opening smaller than 2 mm (0.079 inch) to prevent the

escape of all bee pests.

Canada

The exporter must have all of the source colonies inspected by an official

approved by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency no more than 10 days prior

to shipment. This inspection will result in a Honey Bee Export Certificate that
must accompany the shipment.

The honey bees must be packaged in a manner that will prevent the escape of

any honey bee. If the shipment is palletized the pallet must be completely

covered with a material with a mesh opening small enough to prevent escape.

Other Countries

General Requirements

You may ship restricted organisms only on board aircraft through the United

States for transit to another country.

You may transload a shipment to another aircraft only once while in the

continental United States.

Documentation and Packaging Requirements

Each shipment must be accompanied by the appropriate regulatory authority of

the national government of the region of origin stating that the shipment has

been inspected and determined to meet the packaging requirements below.

Bees must be shipped in securely enclosed packages that prevent escape of

any of its contents during shipment. Each package must be covered by an

escape-proof net secured to prevent escape.

The outside of the package must be clearly marked with the contents of the

transit shipment with the words “Live Bees” and the name of the exporting

region.

Notice of arrival

At least two business days prior to the expected date of arrival the shipper

must contact the port and provide the name of the airport where the shipment

will arrive, where (if applicable) it will be transloaded, the names, phones

numbers, and addresses of both the shipper and receiver, the number of units

(packages of bees or queen bees), and the name of the airline carrying the

shipment.

Inspection and Handling

 All shipments are subject to inspection. You may transload adult bees from one

aircraft to another only under supervision of an inspector. If bees cannot be

transloaded immediately to the flight, they must be stored inside a completely
enclosed building. Adult bees from countries other than Canada and New

Zealand may not be transloaded to a land vehicle. You may transit bees only

through an airport staffed by a Customs and Border Protection Agriculture

Inspector.

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