So today I applied for an APHIS permit to transport pests species across state lines. T.C. (thanks) motivated me to give this process a try, so I figured I would document the process.
First thing first, you need to apply for an eAuth from the USDA. Luckily I am an employee of the USDA so I was able to use my existing eAuth. Using the credential you get through this process, you will be able to login to the ePermit website within Aphis.
There are numerous permits available, and several seem redundant. From my reading, it appears the permit that fits the need of interstate transport of insects in PPQ 526. The entire application is pretty straight forward, starting off asking for your personal information, the delving into reasons and species you will be transporting.
The reasoning for my desire to transport these "pests" is where I got a little creative. I declared that it was for an "Other" reason and in the description I described myself as an amateur myrmecologist ( :] ) that was going to keep the ants as a personal hobby.
When declaring the species you will be transporting, the ePermit site provides a huge selection of species from across the taxonomic spectrum to choose from, not just ant species. You can use the drop down menus to narrow down your selection to anthropods and from there you will be able to select whatever you want. Since I do not know what species I will come across, I selected the very general family Formicidae to cover all basis.
After you navigate this page and select everything you want, they ask how you will be transporting your pest. again, keeping ants as a hobby must not be common enough to warrant its own selection, so I chose other and got creative. I described the typical test tube set up and stated this set up would be placed inside a sealed cooler to act as a redundant containment system (fancy).
From here on, it becomes straight forward again. The site asks from where the pests will be collected (I selected the continental US) and where they will end up (my address). When entering the origination info, I decided to include the option for air and express shipment in hopes that I may be able to receive queens from parts of the country I may not visit.
After this pretty easy process, all you do is hit submit and wait an estimated 80 days. We will see if this pays off or if I have to critique it and try again. Lets hope they give reasons if they deny my permit. If you read this wall of text, thanks! I will keep this post updated as news arrives! 
Edited by CallMeCraven, April 3 2017 - 7:44 AM.
. I do have a have an email out to the state entomologist with my agency for some guidance.
. I listed it the way I did because I can not foresee any plans of destroying any queens I acquire. I will go back to try to edit this application to include a plan for final disposition. Thanks for the advice!
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