Everything Seems to Be on Time

It has been a long wait, since I ordered the honeybees in January. However, the pick up date is getting closer. Of course the honey bees have to leave sunny California on time, loaded on a trailer truck braving the warm temperature, the Mojave desert, the possibility of passes closing in the mountains due to snow, or mud slides, and the sometimes "gale" force winds in the plains...all this treachurous voyage before arriving to Minnesota where our own weather has been strange in the past few months and cold "snaps" are still a reality. Today, I was reassured as my supplier told me that the bees should be on time, as predicted ( Wed. April 21).

This photo shows beehives being transported, it is the same when transporting packages of honeybees, only smaller boxes! This is how my bees will be traveling.

However, I could have received the precious live cargo by mail! Yes, using the United States Postal Service! I can just see the face, and hear the voice of my little mail lady calling frantically for me to come immediately to the post office to pick up the bee packages because they are very loud and make everyone nervous, and please please hurry up! Here below are the stipulations:

526.2 Live Bees

526.21 Mailability Requirements

Bees, including honeybees and queen honeybees, must be free of disease, as required under federal and state regulations. The following additional conditions apply:

Honeybees. Honeybees are acceptable in the continental United States only via surface transportation (i.e., Parcel Post rates). Parcels of honeybees sent at Parcel Post rates must bear special handling postage. Mailpieces must be plainly marked on the address side with “Live Bees” and “Surface Only” or “Surface Mail Only.”

Queen Honeybees. Queen honeybees may be sent via air transportation (i.e., Express Mail, Priority Mail, or First–Class Mail rates) or surface transportation at Parcel Post rates. When sent at Parcel Post rates, the mailpiece must bear special handling postage. Mailpieces containing queen honeybees must be plainly marked on the address side with “Live Queen Bees.”

Refer to Exhibit 526.21 for a general summary of the requirements for mailing live bees. Also see DMM 601.9.3.8.

Exhibit 526.21

Requirements for Mailing Live Bees

Live Bees
Contents must be either queen honeybees or honeybees. Bees must be securely packaged (see DMM 601.9.3.11) to provide adequate air and they must be kept within a tolerable termperature range at 40° to 100° F. The ust of insecticides must be eliminated in Postal Service areas that will be occupied by bee shipments.
Air Transportation	Surface Transportation
Only queen honeybees may be shipped by air transportation (i.e., Express Mail, Priority Mail, or First–Class Mail rates). Alert personnel to ensure the queenhoneybees’ timely and safe dispatch to, and arrival at, the destination. Equipment must be available fortransportation up to the 4th zone. Advance arrangements must be made for shipment to addresses beyond the 4th zone.	Any type of live honeybees may beshipped in the continental United States by surface transportation at Parcel Post rates. Alert personnel to ensure thehoneybees’ timely and safe dispatch to, and arrival at, the destination. Equipment must be available fortransportation up to the 4th zone. Advance arrangement must be made for shipment beyond the 4th zone.

526.22 Claims for Bee Shipments

Indemnity claims (see DMM 609) for damage, partial loss, and loss of insured shipments of mailable bees are accepted only in the following situations:

Death of the bees resulted from Postal Service handling after conditions for mailability were met and when there was strong likelihood that the shipment could have been safely transported.

Contents were lost because of damage to the container while in Postal Service custody.

The complete package was lost in the mail.

Special handling was purchased as required under DMM 601.9.3.8.