Interstate movement of bees is regulated on a state by state basis. Some states have no regs. As far as I can tell, there is no central place where you can find out and compare the regs. They are all a bit different.
What is problematical is they all forbid bee pests and disease but they don't prevent bees from entering with varroa, nosema, small hive beetles, pretty much anything except AFB. I asked a major commercial beekeeper in New York if AFB was a worry for him. He said of all the things that kept him up at night, that wasn't one of them.
Many states require an inspection from the state of origin but many other states have no inspectors to issue them. What follows, I found by a little digging. To build a comprehensive list would no doubt take weeks of phone calls and letters.
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New York. Every shipment of a colony of bees, used comb, used beekeeping equipment, or live bees on comb into this state from another state or foreign country, shall be accompanied by a permit issued by the commissioner or by a certificate of freedom from disease, from insects and parasitic organisms adversely affecting bees and from species or subspecies of bees which have been determined by the commissioner to cause injury directly or indirectly, to this state's useful bee population, crops or other plants and certifying that a proper inspection was made not earlier than sixty days preceding the date of shipment. Such certificate shall be executed by an official of such state or foreign country recognized by the commissioner.
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ALL BEEKEEPERS IN FLORIDA MUST BE REGISTERED with the Division of Plant Industry. Entry of bees into Florida is tightly regulated. A permit must be acquired by making application, providing a certificate of inspection from the state of origin, and agreeing to keep the shipment intact until inspected in Florida.
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Virginia. No person shall bring any bees on combs, empty used combs, used hives, or other used apiary appliances into the Commonwealth without first receiving an entry permit to do so from the State Apiarist. Entry permits shall be issued only upon receipt of satisfactory proof from the regulatory authority for the state of origin that the bees and other items are free from bee diseases, defined as a departure from a sound state of health of bees characterized by visible symptoms including American foulbrood and any other diseases, insects, mites, or bee pests.
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Utah. Importation of bees or appliances into state -- Certification required -- Inspection discretionary -- Authority to require destruction or removal of diseased bees and appliances.
(1) (a) A person may not bring or import any bees in packages or hives or bring or import any used beekeeping equipment or appliances into this state without obtaining a certificate from an inspector authorized in the state of origin certifying that:
(i) the bees, apiary equipment, or appliances have been inspected within the current production season; and
(ii) all diseased colonies in the apiary at the time of the inspection were destroyed or treated.
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Movement of bees into South Dakota requires an entrance permit form the Secretary of Agriculture. This applies to queens, nucs, packages, colonies and equipment. The bee law also requires that anyone who brings bees into the state, must have a health certificate from the state of origin. Those who wish to move bees out of South Dakota may use the inspection service provided by the state.
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Minnesota. Upon initial entry into this state, beekeepers from other' states desiring to locate apiaries in Minnesota shall submit to the commissioner of aviculture, legal descriptions of the apiary locations and pay in advance the required registration fee and an initial inspection fee of one dollar and fifty cents per colony of bees to be lo- cated in this state. The initial inspection fee prescribed in this subdivision shall not apply to hives or colonies of bees imported from bordering states, provided such bordering state does not require entrants to pay an initial inspection or entrance fee for hives or colonies of bees brought into that state from this state.
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Pennsylvania. The Apiary Section’s Apiary Inspection Program is charged with carrying out the Bee Law. Inspections are prioritized in roughly this order: apiaries that had previous outbreaks of American Foulbrood (AFB), queen breeding and nucleus(nuc) production yards, interstate movement of honey bees, new beekeepers, apiaries that have not had a recent inspection, and then all other apiaries.
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North Carolina. The NCDA&CS Plant Industry Division regulates the movement of agricultural or related items capable of spreading harmful insects, diseases, and other pests. Beekeepers participating in this program will be required to comply with all Honey and Bee Industry Regulations . At a minimum, certificates or permits will be required for the interstate movement of bees. Additionally, those participating within North Carolina will be required to contact the NCDA&CS State Apiarist.
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Nebraska. Because Nebraska does not currently track bee movements into and out of the state, there is no direct way to quantify the extent of Nebraska’s participation in the national pollination services market, either as a supplier of migrant colonies for pollination services or as a summer foraging destination host state for commercial beekeeping operations based in other states. ... A number of states require an entry permit to relocate bees to the state. ... It should be noted that each of the states examined maintain a more comprehensive apiary program than Nebraska. In addition to registration of apiaries, these states implement annual or periodic health inspection, monitor and regulate movements of bees into and out of the state, as well as provide inspection, certification and other services to the beekeeping industry.
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Peter L Borst
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