For the courier a bee shipment is an ordinary parcel; for the sender it is a live load. That gap in perception explains most losses: in an unventilated box the bees overheat, and a wait at the sorting hub leaves them open to outside heat or cold.
In a queen it is the sperm stored after mating that is sensitive. In a USDA study published in PLOS One, 1-2 hours at 40 °C or 1-4 hours at 5 °C in the lab cut sperm viability from about 90% to 20%. Among queens sent by post and courier, up to 20% of shipments reached about 41 °C or 8 °C for more than 2 hours, and those exposed to the extremes lost half their viability.
A package of bees is a wooden cage with wire screen on two sides; packages are braced apart to prevent crowding and overheating. If more than about 1.3 cm (half an inch) of dead bees lies on the cage floor or the queen is dead, the condition is recorded and reported. Installation can wait up to 48 hours, and the package waits in a cool, dim place.
- Before dispatch, get the packing instructions from the bee breeder and the live-bee acceptance conditions and weekend handling from the carrier.
- Hand the parcel over early in the week and postpone in a heatwave.
- Send the receiver the shipment code and expected delivery window, and ask them not to leave it at the depot.
- Put a temperature logger in the parcel and record transfer and waiting times against the shipment code; in a dispute over losses that record is the evidence.
In Turkey, bee movements require an inspection by an official veterinarian and a veterinary health certificate (Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry 2025 Programme, Article 34/8); ask the provincial or district directorate whether a queen or package shipment falls under it.