Plant Industry - How to Sell Bees

The following information is provided to assist parties interested in renewing their permit to sell honey bees in the state of North Carolina. First time applicants need to contact the State Apiarist or the Apiary Inspector who covers their region to schedule an inspection and with questions on the Application and Compliance Agreement form. Please read all the information carefully.

All forms must be typed or printed legibly. The forms required to be submitted with your Permit Application are:

1. A current health certificate from state of origin.
2. Completed application form for Permit to Sell Bees in North Carolina. Please include estimated number of each type of bees to be sold in NC during the calendar year (January 1 to December 31).
3. A Compliance Agreement for both producers and resellers who wish to sell bees in North Carolina. Be sure to provide all the requested information. The forms must be signed and dated. Unsigned forms will not be processed.
4. A non-refundable $25.00 permit fee must accompany the above application. Please make checks out to NCDA&CS.

Brood and bees on comb carry a higher intrinsic/potential risk of transferring honey pathogens and pests. For that reason, hives or nucs must be from apiaries inspected by NCDA&CS inspectors before distribution. Please call the office or Don Hopkins for additional consultation.

All incomplete permit requests will not be processed. Items 1 – 4 listed above must be submitted for your application to be processed. It is unlawful to sell bees in North Carolina without a permit from NCDA&CS. (Note to North Carolina residents: For a producer, or a reseller of bees on comb, an inspection must be completed by an NCDA&CS apiary inspector. Contact your local inspector for an appointment.) Once your permit request has been approved, you will receive official notification and be added to our online list of approved dealers. A permit [to sell bees] is not required for (1) the sale of less than 10 beehives in a calendar year, (2) a one-time going-out-of-business sale of less than 50 beehives.

If you have questions regarding this procedure, contact Donald Hopkins, State Apiarist, at (919) 218-3310.