Honeybee Shipping Requires Planning

Many backyard hobbyists, or new beekeepers get started by ordering a package of bees in the mail.

David Tarpy of North Carolina State University Extension said those bees are all domestic.

“They’re not shipped globally because they don’t want to pass along diseases or anything so this is all within the U.S. where the package industry is currently located.”

Tarpy said that can make transportation easier.

“These packaged bees can then be shipped through the mail or often times picked up and transported by would-be beekeepers that would require those bees at the backend to then shake them out of the package into their new hive.”

For those new beekeepers, make sure that you maintain a proper temperature for the package and that installation should occur in no less than 65 degrees Fahrenheit. The packages should be kept between 55 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit.