Truck Overturns In Washington State, Releasing 13 Million Bees

Several million honeybees were released from a tractor-trailer onto a Seattle highway when the trailer tipped early Friday morning. Hives could still be seen lining the highway for several hours after the accident.

There were 448 beehives, which is the equivalent of about 13.7 million bees, released, and crews tried to recapture and save as many as they could. The accident occurred around 3 a.m., but as the sun began to rise, crews had to spray the remaining hives with foam to kill the bees in order to protect the public.

The bees were being transported by Belleville Honey and Beekeeping Supply of Burlington and the company’s spokesperson spoke out about the regretful incident today: “I’m disappointed we caused such chaos and confusion.” He also shared that the accident would result in hundreds of thousands of dollars of lost profit and equipment.

The driver, a 36-year-old man from Idaho, was not injured.