TEN MILLION BEES ESCAPE AFTER CRASH ON HIGHWAY
A truck, carrying at least 10 million bees, escaped after the truck crashed.
The truck, owned and driven by a commercial beekeeper, was travelling from California to North Dakota in the United States. It was carrying 416 boxes of bees each containing between 50 000 and 1000 honeybees.
The honeybees were transported to pollinate crops across the United States.
The driver drove too fast on a curve causing the truck to tip.
According to CNN, the driver of the truck was taken to hospital with numerous bee stings and minor injuries from the crash. Troopers on the scene also received bee stings.
A local beekeepers association was contacted to assist.
Julie Arthur from the Wasatch Beekeepers Association said the scene was a “gigantic mess”. She described how honey and honeycomb wax had melted in the sun and boxes were scattered all over.
She told CNN that she saw a wall of bees “8 feet long, 4 feet deep, and 5 feet high”.
Arthur’s team of five volunteers were only able to rescue about 10% of the bees. The bees will no longer be used to pollinate crops as originally intended. Instead, the bees will be used by Arthur’s association to teach aspiring beekeepers.
Image credit: Sky News