Importation of bees to the US is governed by 7CFR322.  You can view the CFRs at http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_06/7cfr322_06.html

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 Australia, Canada, and New Zealand:

General Shipping Requirments 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.
• honey bee brood and adult honey bees from any country other then Australia, Canada, and new Zealand are restricted.

To distill down the following rules regarding import of bees from Canada, Australia, or New Zealand:
- You can import bees from Canada.
- Bees must either bee queens with attendant bees OR package bees
- No comb, brood, pollen, or honey is allowed with the bees
- You must get an export certificate of health from a Canadian bee inspector.
- And, you must notify the port of entry 10 days in advance of the bees' arrival.



Specific parts that an importer may want to review:

Sec. 322.4  Approved regions.

(a) Adult honeybees. The following regions are approved for the

importation of adult honeybees into the continental United States (not

including Hawaii) under the conditions of this subpart: Australia,

Canada, and New Zealand.


Sec. 322.5  General requirements.

(a) All shipments of bees and honeybee germ plasm imported into the

United States under this subpart must be shipped directly to the United

States from an approved region.

(b) Adult honeybees. (1) You may import adult honeybees under this

subpart only from regions listed in Sec. 322.4(a).

(2) The honeybees must be package bees or queens with attending

adult bees.


Sec. 322.6 Export certificate.

Each shipment of bees and honeybee germ plasm arriving in the United

States from an approved region must be accompanied by an export

certificate issued by the appropriate regulatory agency of the national

government of the exporting region.

(a) Adult honeybees. (1) For adult honeybees, the export certificate

must:

(i) Certify that the hives from which the honeybees in the shipment

were derived were individually inspected by an official of the

regulatory agency no more than 10 days prior to export;

(ii) Identify any diseases, parasites, or undesirable species or

subspecies of honeybee found in the hive during that preexport

inspection; and

(iii) Certify that the bees in the shipment were produced in the

exporting region and are the offspring of bees or semen also produced in

the exporting region.


Sec. 322.7 Notice of arrival.

(a) At least 10 business days prior to the arrival in the United

States of any shipment of bees or honeybee germ plasm imported into the

United States under this subpart, you must notify APHIS of the impending

arrival. Your notification must include the following information:

(1) Your name, address, and telephone number;

(2) The name and address of the receiving apiary;

(3) The name, address, and telephone number of the producer;

(4) The U.S. port where you expect the shipment to arrive. The port

must be staffed by an APHIS inspector (see Sec. 322.11);

(5) The date you expect the shipment to arrive at that U.S. port;

(6) The scientific name(s) of the organisms in the shipment;

(7) A description of the shipment (i.e., package bees, queen bees,

nest boxes, etc.); and

(8) The total number of organisms you expect to receive.

(b) You must provide the notification to APHIS through one of the

following means:

(1) By mail to the Permit Unit, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit

133, Riverdale, MD 20737-1236; or

(2) By facsimile at (301) 734-8700; or

(3) By electronic mail to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Sec. 322.8 Packaging of shipments.

(a) Adult honeybees. All shipments of adult honeybees imported into

the United States under this subpart:

(1) Must be packaged to prevent the escape of any bees or bee pests;

(2) Must not include any brood, comb, pollen, or honey; and

(3) May include sugar water or crystallized sugar (e.g., candy) for

use as food during transit.


Sec. 322.10 Inspection; refusal of entry.

(a) Shipments of honeybees, honeybee germ plasm, and bees other than

honeybees imported into the United States under this subpart will be

inspected at the port of entry in the United States for:

(1) Proper documentation (see Sec. 322.6);

(2) Timely notice of arrival (see Sec. 322.7); and

(3) Adequate packaging (see Sec. 322.8).

(b) If, upon inspection, any shipment fails to meet the requirements

of this part, that shipment will be refused entry into the United

States. In accordance with Sec. 322.2(c), the inspector will offer you,

or in your absence the shipper, the opportunity to immediately export

any refused shipments. If you, or in your absence the shipper,

decline to immediately export the shipment, we will destroy the shipment

at your expense.


Sec. 322.11 Ports of entry.



Shipments of honeybees, honeybee germ plasm, and bees other than

honeybees imported under this subpart may enter the United States only

at a port of entry staffed by an APHIS inspector.\2\

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\2\ To find out if a specific port is staffed by an APHIS inspector,

or for a list of ports staffed by APHIS inspectors, contact Permit Unit,

PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 133, Riverdale, MD 20737-1236; toll-

free (877) 770-5990; fax (301) 734-8700.

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