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Bringing Live Bees on a plane

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Old Feb 23, 2019 | 10:05 am
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Bringing Live Bees on a plane

My wife is undergoing bee venom therapy treatments that require her to have live bees along with us in a vacation we are taking to Florida in March. She receives a small 4x2x6
carbosrd box in the mail every week from a beekeeper and wants to know if she can bring this along on our flight.

I dont think checked baggage is an option as it may get too cold for the bees and they may perish. Does anyone have any idea where I can find out if she can bring this with her?

otherwise we may have to send them by mail to the local post office near our rental home.
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Old Feb 23, 2019 | 10:25 am
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Old Feb 23, 2019 | 10:31 am
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https://www.google.com/amp/s/askento...n-a-plane/amp/

An entomologist has addressed this question it sounds as if most airlines do not permit it as only cats and dogs are allowed in cabin.

I think having them shipped to rental address is the best way.
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Old Feb 23, 2019 | 10:38 am
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You haven't told us your carrier, but here are a few starting points:if you happened to be flying AA. It is also unclear what the risks are to other passengers. What happens if the box is dropped or something else occurs? Could those bees harm a passenger? Given that that the bees are self-evidently capable of being shipped, why not have the beekeeper ship them to your Florida location and then not have to deal with this at all.

- AA only permits dogs & cats in the cabin.
- AA has a medical assistance / disabilities phone line for you to call. I would start by calling there and explaining your exact needs. See what they have to say about exceptions.

You also need to check with TSA. I have no idea what they would say about a container which they cannot safely open.
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Old Feb 23, 2019 | 11:02 am
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Flying UA. Bees cant get out of box and TSA can open box as bees are inside of smaller wood matchboxes with some honey and moisture for them while in transit.

calling the airline might make the most sense of all.
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Old Feb 23, 2019 | 1:30 pm
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According to this article in the Wall Street Journal, the TSA allows live bees in carry on bags, but some airlines may ban bees in the cabin.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, bringing live bees onto an airplane doesn't get a hard "no" from the TSA, but it's up to each airline to determine their own insect rules.

Clearly a case of YMMV.
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Old Feb 23, 2019 | 1:34 pm
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Simple question. If the beekeeper can ship the bees to your wife in Chicago, why can't that beekeeper or another send one shipment to your vacation address in Florida?

I presume that the physician supervising this and the beekeeper have dealt with travel issues before and have an off-the-shelf solution for you. Maybe start there before you involve UA.
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Old Mar 1, 2019 | 11:47 am
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This thread reminds me of one of Chris Farley's movies...and makes me laugh out loud thinking about his antics in the back of a plane.
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Old Mar 1, 2019 | 3:15 pm
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Just yesterday I was investigating beekeeping as a hobby and learned some possibly relevant factoids for your situation. (I decided the regs make it too difficult for a hobby for me)
My town regards bees as "dangerous animals" and applies a lot of regulations about how they must be licensed and kept.
Bees are somewhat local and can't necessarily be shipped safely from one climate to another, though reportedly Georgia is a major beekeeping state and they are next door to Florida..
Many don't tolerate shipping for more than 1 - 2 days.
Definitely check with your beekeeper/sender about shipping your bees directly to Florida vs sending them to you to carry on the plane.
Check with your specific airline on how it feels about bees in the cabin.
Call that "special assistant" line TSA advertises and have them answer your questions, then meet you at the airport to assist you and your bees through security if you choose that method of transport.
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