Belarusian Bees Denied Entry to Russia

On April 20, Russia’s agricultural watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor banned the import into Russia of 65 packages containing queen bees from Belarus.

A vehicle driven by a Belarusian citizen was stopped at the Krasnaya Gorka veterinary control checkpoint in Russia’s Smolensk region. The vehicle, traveling from the Minsk region to Russia, was carrying 65 packages with queen bees. The veterinary certificate provided by the driver did not include information about mandatory laboratory tests for insect parasites or about the disinfection of packaging materials.

The bees were returned to Belarus, Rosselkhoznadzor reported.