# What are rules/laws for shipping comb honey out of state?



## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

I've never heard of any US regulations limiting the interstate shipment of honey, comb or extracted. I've even received heather comb honey through the post from the UK. No problem.


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## Lauri (Feb 1, 2012)

Thanks Michael, don't want to get in hot water with the dept of AG. so I thought I'd ask.


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

You may wish to avoid shipping comb honey into the state of Alabama. 


> It shall be unlawful to ship, move or otherwise transport into this state for delivery within the state any previously used honey containers or any hives,[HIGHLIGHT] combs,[/HIGHLIGHT] frames, appliances, supers or other beekeeping equipment or supplies which have been previously used in the keeping or raising of bees; provided, that clean used screen cages or clean used honey containers may be brought into the state for the purpose of transporting bees or honey out of the state unless the State Apiarist or his agent determines that such cages or honey containers create a disease hazard; and, upon such a determination, such cages or honey containers shall be confiscated and destroyed by burning. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the movement or shipment of any new or unused bee supplies, equipment or honey containers into the State of Alabama.
> 
> (Acts 1965, No. 794, p. 1488, §4.)
> 
> http://www.agi.alabama.gov/divisions/plant-health/apiary-protection-unit/alabama-apiary-laws


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

Rader
Pure layman here but I bet that would not count against a food product for people and not bees.
Cheers
gww


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

Well, it's easy to "bet" when it's not you that would suffer the consequences of losing that bet! 

The safest course of action is to assume that "comb" actually means comb.

But, hey, I'm just a layman also.


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

Rader
In gambling, everyone has to make thier own decision. That why I said I was a laymen.
Cheers
gww


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

Rader
As far as betting goes, I see that amazon is not scared and an ohio bee company is not scared.

I don't know what the law means though.
Cheers
gww
Ps, I am pretty sure ebay is not scared also.


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

Keep in mind that Ebay does not sell *ANYTHING* except a _service_. Ebay certainly does _not_ ship any kind of honey to Alabama, or to any other state.

Also, approximately 50% of the product volume that moves through Amazon is NOT SOLD BY AMAZON, but is rather sold by individual merchants utilizing the services of Amazon Marketplace.

Go back and look at whatever Amazon product listing for comb honey you were looking at. I will "bet" that it is NOT Amazon selling that item, but rather a Marketplace merchant.

You may overlook the distinction, but it is a _real_ *legal* distinction. For instance, Amazon collects sales tax from buyers in states where Amazon has operations (like Tennessee) for PRODUCTS AMAZON SELLS, but no sales tax is collected on transactions where the item is sold through the Amazon MARKETPLACE (unless the individual merchant is also in Tennessee). (Look up "nexus sales tax" for more on this topic.)

"Scared" has nothing to do with it. _Lauri_ wanted to know what the *laws* were, not what the odds were that she would get hauled off to jail by the folks in Alabama. :shhhh:


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

Rader
I have serched and serched and can only find cottage rules and such for selling of honey but still believe that this section you posted dealing with apary management has nothing to do with selling a food product. Mo has exactly the same laguage but it has nothing to do with selling honey for food. It is for desiese management. 

Mo just changed our honey selling laws to where we do not have to sell only from our home and can now sell through a vendor for up to fifty thousand bucks and they just passed another one that allows us to do internet sales. Bee culture had an artical wrote by the guy that interacted with the legislators in the passage and one of the points he was making is that people out side the state could sale thier honey to missourians in an easier fassion than the guy that lived in missouri could.

Yet we still have the same across the state line laguage on bees and bee equiptment. I do not believe, but am having a hard time proving, that what you listed has nothing to do with food. I also saw on the labling for alabama that anything that was not just in sliced comb had a higher labling standard (of course that is if I understood what I was reading). Even searching for Missouri's laws, I could not have found the new legislation with out the bee culture artical cause I tried first before getting smart and finding the artical with the actual bill numbers in it.

This is one reason I usually just do more of what I want and beg for forgiveness if I am wrong cause it is not that easy finding the laws of the land so you can live by them if you can even understand them as they are writen. 

I found resturant safety laws, cottage food laws for those that live there but no laws on how imported food is handled in alabama.

I am not saying that nothing is there but still say that if the comb is imported for food it is not bees and equiptment that is under apary law. There may be a law that makes it bad but it is not the one you posted. Unless of course it was marketed as bee food (raw milk which is ilegal to sell as human food is still sold marketed as pet food in alabama).

I do say as far as larie is concerned, it might be her local law that makes it illegal more them the recieving alabama law cause it is only since 2017 that it would be legal for me to ship from my state from a sale generated on the web.

Not giving advice to you are others on what to do or what the law is but more just reporting how hard it is to be sure.

If I were the one doing it, I would with what I can find out and using Missouri law as my reason, I would have no fear shipping to an alabama individual.
Cheers
gww


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## Lauri (Feb 1, 2012)

gww said:


> it is not that easy finding the laws of the land so you can live by them if you can even understand them as they are writen.


AMEN!
Crummy, vague, complicated state web sites with rules / laws that are many times left open to interpretation.:scratch:


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## gww (Feb 14, 2015)

lauri
If it is any consulation, What I did see was that even if you are wrong it is only a class b misdemeanor and they even had the top fine at about $300. Everything I can find leads me to believe that the state you live ins law is most imprtant.

I did find some laws for alabama citizens.
Cheers
gww


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## Specialkayme (Sep 4, 2005)

Lauri said:


> Crummy, vague, complicated state web sites with rules / laws that are many times left open to interpretation.:scratch:


If it was easy to understand, what would us lawyers actually do for a living?

I've sold chunk honey to almost every state, and some other countries, and have had no issues. Realistically, most state Ag departments operate more on a "compliance" basis than a "fine" basis. If your products don't comply with labeling requirements, they usually remove it from the shelves rather than attempt to fine you for so many products sold or whatever. Not really a legal answer, but more of a practical one.


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## MikeJ (Jan 1, 2009)

I believe the laws many states have on "comb" are referring to bees on comb or brood comb... this is where diseases come in. Your own state apiarist or agri department should be able to give you a pretty sure answer for what the other states mean.

Or, to be absolutely sure - you could call every state's state agri department and ask


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