LYNDEN, Wash. — Emergency officials have been busy as … well, you know, cleaning up after a commercial truck full of bee hives crashed in northern Washington, unleashing 250 million bees on first responders.
The truck overturned on Weidkamp Road around 4 a.m. Friday near Lynden, just south of the Canadian border, according to the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office.
A massive response of deputies, public works officials and several bee experts were called to the scene.
The 70,000 pounds of honey bee hives on board came off the truck around 9 a.m., unleashing all the bees, deputies said.
“250 million bees are now loose,” Whatcom County Sheriff’s deputies posted on Facebook. “AVOID THE AREA due to the potential of bee escape and swarming.”
A photo from the scene showed the surreal sight of millions of bees swarming around the wreckage.
“Master beekeepers are on scene, and others are on the way, to assist in re-setting the box hives,” deputies wrote. “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.”
The road was expected to remain closed for up to two days, and authorities urged people to stay at least 200 yards from the crash site.
“While there is no general health risk to the public, anyone who is allergic to bee stings or has concerns should check the State Department of Health webpage on bees and wasps,” deputies wrote.
There is no word as to what led up to the crash.
By late afternoon, crews had made progress cleaning up the mess.
“Thank you to the wonderful community of beekeepers: over two dozen showed up to help ensure the rescue of millions of pollinating honey bees would be as successful as possible,” deputies wrote. “Hive boxes from the overturned truck were recovered, restored and returned to use. By morning, most bees should have returned to their hives.”
This is not the first time Western Washington has dealt with such a bee calamity. In 2015, a truck carrying some 40 million bees was involved in a wreck on Interstate 5 in the northern Seattle suburbs, unleashing a chaotic cloud of angry bees upon commuters and first responders.
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