250 Million Bees Swarm Washington State After Escaping Overturned Truck: ‘Stay Away'
Several agencies and master beekeepers responded to the scene to recollect the bees
Authorities have warned people to "stay away" from the area where the incident occurred for at least 200 yards over the next 24-48 hoursAround 250 million bees are on the loose in Washington State after a truck transporting the winged insects overturned.
At around 4:00 a.m. local time on Friday, May 30, a commercial truck carrying an estimated 70,000 pounds of honey beehives overturned on Weidkamp Road near Lynden. Shortly after 9:00 a.m., the beehives fell off the truck, causing the bees to escape, the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office stated in a news release shared on Facebook.
'Master beekeepers are on scene, and others are on the way, to assist in re-setting the box hives,' WCSO said, per the news release. '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 deputies and Whatcom County Public Works responded to the scene, along with the WCSO Division of Emergency Management (DEM), who were assisted by several Master Beekeepers.
Authorities have advised locals to avoid Weidkamp between Loomis Trail Road and West Badger, Berthusen Park, for at least 200 yards, as the area remains closed for the next 24 to 48 hours.
Derek Condit, author of The Natural Beekeeper's Path: Treatment-Free Practices for a Living World, volunteered to help collect the bees. He explained to Komo News that the beehives 'crushed' into each other when the truck fell over, so they're having to 'rebuild' them, which has been a delicate and difficult process.
'It's not necessarily something we can go up with the keepers and just grab the beehives that are collapsing and falling apart,' Condit told the outlet. 'So we're basically one by one rebuilding the beehives, putting the frames back in and have to stack them.'
'These bees are going to swarm in the local areas and start new hives, luckily, so there will be re-pollination in this area, but there will be great losses as well,' he added.
Condit posted a video on Facebook, showing millions of honey bees buzzing in the air during the recollection process. He sported a white beekeeper suit while joined by other rescuers in protective gear.
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The master beekeepers stopped working on the hives at 2:00 p.m. local time on Friday, per Komo News.
'No one could have predicted 250 MILLION BEES would be loose on a road. So, stay away. Just…. Don't go anywhere near them," The WA Emergency Management team wrote on X.
Authorities have assured the public that the bees pose no health risk, however, they warn that anyone allergic to bee stings 'should check the State Department of Health webpage on bees and wasps,' per the WCSO news release.
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