Importing honey bees

​Importing honey bees

• elsewhere in the British Isles
• other Member States
• other eligible countries outside the European Union (as at June 2013, these are Argentina, Australia and New Zealand)

Importing from British Isles

All honey bee imports must also be accompanied by an official health certificate. You can obtain a health certificate from the relevant authority. You should retain your health certificate for 12 months after the arrival of the consignment.

General Licence for the import of honey bees to Jersey from British Islands

Example of isolation premises approval certificate for bees

Importing from other Member States

You can import honey bees into Jersey providing the bees satisfy the health requirements applicable to trade between Member States. These requirements can be complicated and you should contact the Veterinary Section at the Department of the Environment to find out which ones apply to your consignment.

All honey bee imports must also be accompanied by an official health certificate. You can obtain a health certificate from the relevant authority. You should retain your health certificate for 12 months after the arrival of the consignment.

Importing from other eligible countries outside the EU

You can import honey bees into Jersey provided that your consignment:

• has a queen bee
• has no more than 20 attendants
  
• satisfies the health requirements applying to honey bee imports from the other eligible countries into Member States
  

These requirements can be complicated and you should contact the Veterinary Section at the Department of the Environment to find out which ones apply to your consignment.

All honey bee imports must also be accompanied by an official health certificate. You can obtain a health certificate from the relevant authority. You should retain your health certificate for 12 months after the arrival of the consignment.

Notification of imports

It's a legal requirement that you notify the Veterinary Section at the Department of the Environment prior to the arrival of your consignment of bees. You can do this by completing a notification form.

After you have submitted the notification form you may be contacted by the department so that an inspector can arrange a visit. 

Importer notification form

Sale of bees

It's good practice to keep records of beekeepers to whom you have sold any imported bees to. This will enable the Environment Department to contact the new owner quickly in the event of any pests and diseases being found in the imported consignment.

Fireblight: Erminia amylovora (plant disease spread by bees)

Fireblight is a plant disease which is spread by bees and other pollen or nectar gathering insects. Jersey is free from Fireblight and is therefore deemed to be a Fireblight protected zone.

The movement of bee packages and hives into EU designated Fireblight protected zones between 15 March and 30 June are subject to the control measures set out in the Plant Health Directive (2000/29/EC).

You must provide documentary evidence that the bees or hives have either:

• originated from another eligible country outside the EU recognised free from Fireblight
  
• originated from one of the EU Fireblight protected zones
  
• undergone an appropriate quarantine measure restricting foraging activity at least 48 hours before arrival