Excerpts from Publication 52 of US Postal Service

5 Perishable Matter

51 Definition
Perishable matter is anything that can deteriorate in the mail and thereby lose value, create a health hazard, or cause an obnoxious odor, nuisance, or disturbance under ordinary mailing conditions. Mailable perishable matter may be sent at the mailer's own risk when it is packaged as required and when it can be delivered within appropriate and reasonable time limits to prevent deterioration.
Examples of perishable matter include mailable types of live animals, food items, and plants.


52 Animals
521 General Requirements
 The full cooperation of the mailer is essential in order to safely and effectively transport animals through the mail. The following factors are normally applied to all shipments of mailable live or dead animal:

a. Protection of postal employees and the public against harm from dangerous or diseased animals.
b. Protection of the mail and the environment against the following:
  (1) Damage to the shipping container or other mailpieces from either the animal or the refrigerant used (i.e., moisture or condensation from melting ice, or heat from dry ice).
  (2) Obnoxious odors and noise.
c. Protection of animals against death, or protection of animal specimens against spoilage, taking into account the following:
  (1) Expected time in transit.
  (2) Expected temperature in transit (weather conditions).
  (3) Packaging, including insulation against impact, heat, cold, and suffocation.
d. Ability of an animal to survive without food or water during transport. Live animals must be transported without food or water because liquids, moisture, and loose foodstuffs can cause damage to the shipping container, other mail, and postal equipment during transport.
e. The ability of the Postal Service to provide transportation and delivery service. Mailers are urged to work with postmasters in providing advance notification of shipments of live animals. The Postal Service advises destination and transfer offices when any significant quantities of animals are moving in the mail. Postal Service field personnel should consider a 4-hour time limit on the period during which animals (especially bees, day-old poultry, and adult birds) may move in a regular closed postal vehicle.

522 Packaging and Markings
522.1 Container Construction
Shipping containers for mailable live animals must, at a minimum, be made of 275-pound test, double-wall, corrugated, weather-resistant fiberboard (W5c) or equivalent. Additional requirements apply to mailable types of adult fowl and adult chickens as specified in DMM C022.3.3 and C022.3.4.
522.2 Security and Ventilation
Containers must be constructed to prevent escape of animals, prevent the crushing of the container and contents during normal handling, and provide adequate ventilation for the animals at all times.
522.3 Marking
Each mailpiece must bear a complete return address and be marked on the address side with a description of the contents (i.e., "Live Animals," "Live Honey Bees," etc.). A mailpiece marked "If Undeliverable, Abandon" may not be accepted for mailing.

523 Acceptance for Mailing
A mailpiece containing live animals that cannot reach its destination in a viable condition should not be accepted. Factors that can be taken into consideration in assessing the viability of a mailpiece containing live animals include use of proper packaging methods that protect against suffocation and crushing during transport, expected time in transit, and very extreme weather conditions that exceed the normal weather pattern along the transportation route.
This provision does not extend to postal personnel the authority to refuse mailable animals that are properly packaged or to impose local black-out periods based on temperature conditions, heavy mail volumes, etc. Postal acceptance personnel must have reasonable justification to refuse a mailpiece. Before refusing any mailpiece that contains a mailable type of animal, acceptance personnel are to confer with the manager, business mail entry at their district office or their RCSC, as appropriate.

524 Disposal
Any mailpiece containing live animals that cannot be delivered to the addressee or returned to the sender within 72 hours (for live day-old poultry) or within the delivery period marked on the parcel (for other mailable animals) must be disposed of immediately.
For safety reasons, dispose of mailpieces not marked with a delivery period when it reasonably appears the articles could not be delivered or returned in a viable condition. See POM 691.52 for disposal information. Also see 742.3 for the disposition of mailpieces that are refused by air carriers.

526.2 Live Bees
526.21 Mailability Requirements
Bees, including honeybees and queen honeybees, must be free of disease as required under federal and state regulations. The following additional conditions apply:
a. Honeybees. Honeybees are acceptable in the continental U.S. only via surface transportation (i.e., at Standard Mail rates). Parcels of honeybees sent at the Standard Mail rates must bear special handling postage. Mailpieces must be plainly marked on the address side with "Live Bees" and "Surface Mail Only."
b. Queen Honeybees. Queen honeybees may be sent via air transportation (i.e., Express Mail, Priority Mail, or First-Class Mail rates) or surface transportation (i.e., Standard Mail rates). When sent at a Standard Mail rate, the mailpiece must bear special handling postage. Mailpieces containing queen honeybees must be plainly marked on the address side with "Live Queen Bees."

Refer to Exhibit 526.21 for a general summary of the requirements for mailing live bees. Also see DMM C022.3.7.

526.22 Claims for Bee Shipments
Indemnity claims (see DMM S010) for damage, partial loss, and loss of insured shipments of mailable bees are accepted only in the following situations:
a. Death of the bees resulted from postal handling after conditions for mailability were met and when there was strong likelihood that the shipment could have been safely transported.
b. Contents were lost because of damage to the container while in postal custody.
c. The complete package was lost in the mail.
d. Special handling was purchased as required under DMM C022.3.7.

Exhibit 526.21
Requirements for Mailing Live Bees

Live Bees
Contents must be queen honeybees of honeybee, Bees must be securely packaged (See DMM CO22.3.1) provide adequate air, and must be kept within a tolerable temperature range of 40 degrees F to 100 Degrees F. The use of insecticides must be eliminated in postal areas that will be occupied by bee shipments.

Air Transportation
* Only queen honeybees may be shipped by air transportation (i.e., Express Mail, Priority Mail, or First-Class Mail rates).
* Alert personnel to ensure the queen honeybees' timely and safe dispatch to and arrival at destination.
* Equipment must be available for transportation up to 4th zone. An advance arrangement must be made for shipment beyond 4th zone.

Surface Transportation
* Any type of live honeybees may be shipped by surface transportation (i.e., Standard Mail rates).
* Alert personnel to ensure the honeybees' timely and safe dispatch to and arrival at destination.
* Equipment must be available for transportation up to 4th zone. An advance arrangement must be made for shipment beyond 4th zone.