"Gene Schurg" wrote in message
hlink.net...
In my extensive Hawaiian Export experience (twice) I did not have any
problems. The trick is to bring the plants through the APHIS inspection
without wrapping them. Have tissue paper and newspaper and tape to wrap
them after you get through all the inspections.

With the increased security the inspectors get nervous with closed and
wrapped boxes.

Have a great trip....BTW...I'm available to go along and carry plants!

Good growing,
Gene

Hi Group-
I have made 6 trips to Hawaii, and have used a combination of shipping the
plants and carrying them on the plane. What most vendors will do if you are
carrying them on the plane is to package all the plants in a cardboard box
(uaually the florist type of box), seal the box with shipping tape, and then
stamp their nursery registration stamp all over the tape. At the airport,
your checked luggage gets scanned for plant material before you get to the
ticket counter, your carry-on goes through the regular security screening,
and then before you get to the gate area, your carry-on also goes through an
Agricultural scanner. As long as the tape has not been tampered with, you
should have no problem. You might have a problem if you are carrying on 8
boxes of orchids, hence the need to ship some boxes home (g). Now if I
can only convince my wife of the need to head to Hilo in March for the big
Orchid Show. . . . . .
Bill Landers