Ornithoptera and CITES question

Yes....you can purchase from within the US wo a permit, but I’d advise you keep your receipt of the sale anyway. In your post, there was the comment abt only needing a permit for importing Ornithoptera. You need a CITES II permit and a 3-177 for importing Ornithoptera and just a 3-177 for any other dead insects. I took your comment to only mean abt importing Ornithoptera which is true, but importing any dead insect into the US does require paperwork.....sadly. Just wanted to share my thoughts. Btw....it’s not unreasonable to ask for CITES importing documentation from the seller if that seller imported the specimens. This whole thing is a royal pita and why I only buy from within the US these days.

Good catch Adam.....thnx. Yes, I focused on his Ornithoptera which was mentioned, but all CITES II insects need the permit along w the 3-177.

That’s great if your buddies got them through wo incident. That is not to say it was legal or without potential problems. Many many insects get through wo USFW......it’s just a matter of time before some get caught.

Every single dead bug imported into the US must be done up w a 3-177. Now....some nice (few though there may be) agents/ports will let one import wo a license if the importer only does a few....less than eight. If, by chance, you order a small series of the same species, they will most certainly force you to get a commercial license for $100 per year. Whether you import as a private collector (8 or fewer) or you import as a commercial licensee, the form is required....plain and simple. Go ahead and call several agents/ports and ask for yourself. I doubt they’ve relaxed the rules since I did it, but miracles do happen......don’t hold your breath. I used to call several with questions and I’d keep detailed records of what was said and by whom.

Once I called abt Ornithoptera from the Solomons and they actually were unaware of the fact that there was a block on importations from there bc the Solomons had not signed the CITES agreement. Even so....the importer is required to know the rules even if the goons don’t or face confiscation and/or fines. Now....what you choose to do is your business. I’m just trying to share what I know so as to not have you get into trouble......that’s all. Although I’ve stopped importing, I used to do it quite heavily when they were less Gastapo-like. Good luck.

I am not in the US, so cannot recommend particular sellers myself, but I expect that the sponsors of Insectnet would be a good place to start. Try this link insectnet.com/suppliers.htm

Adam.

Yes.......farmed they are these days. Best bet to get O. victoriae from within the USA is to purchase from an old collection. It is my understanding from recent years past that the Solomons are off limits for importation. I have not, admittedly, recently checked on this.

Well, their feedback profile is certainly good, and they've been an eBay member since 2001.  Apart from eBay however, I can't find even a single reference to this seller anywhere on the web.  Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean anything.