WHATCOM COUNTY, Wash. — A buzzworthy story is unfolding in Whatcom County, where 250 million bees have escaped after a semi-truck carrying about 70,000 pounds of honey bee hives lost part of its load early Friday.
The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) emergency management division said the truck overturned on Weidkamp Road around 4 a.m. in a rural area northwest of Lynden near the Canadian border.
Weidkamp is closed between Loomis Trail Road and West Badger. People are cautioned to avoid the area and stay back at least 200 yards.
Whatcom County deputies, public works personnel, and several bee experts responded to the sting operation.
Shortly after 9 a.m., the hives came off the truck, which freed millions of bees.
Master beekeepers are in the process resetting the box hives.
“The plan is to allow the bees to re-hive and find their queen bee. That should occur within the next 24-48 hours. The goal is to save as many of the bees as possible,” WCSO Division of Emergency Management spokesperson Amy Cloud said in a news release.
A photo from the scene shows the truck’s trailer twisted across the road, dozens of hives askew across the trailer, and millions of insects rising in a smoky-looking swarm.
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Authorities said while there is no general health risk to the public, deputies at the scene have been stung. Anyone with a bee sting allergy or who wants more information can check the protection guidance page on the health department’s website.
The incident is not the first in which millions of bees escaped when a semi-truck carrying numerous hives crashed.
In 2015, 14 million bees escaped when a semi-truck carrying millions of bees overturned on Interstate 5.
