Millions of honey bees escaped on Friday morning after a truck transporting their hives in Washington state overturned near the Canadian border.
According to the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office, the original calculation estimated 250 million honeybees had escaped, or an estimated 70,000 pounds of honeybee hives, however on Saturday afternoon, the overall numbers had greatly decreased.
CORRECTION: initial information on the number of bees in Friday’s rollover crash was inaccurate. We have since learned that a more accurate total is far fewer than first estimated – closer to 14 million, according to one of the beekeepers doing recovery work on-site today.
Thank you to those who challenged the math and helped us get closer to the true number.
From the reports submitted to authorities, the driver of the truck failed to navigate a tight turn which caused the trailer to roll into a ditch. The driver was not injured. Master beekeepers were dispatched to the scene, and others rushed over to assist in re-setting the box hives. The plan was to allow the bees to re-hive and find their queen bee. It was estimated that would take from 24 to 48 hours, and the goal was to save as many honey bees as possible.
By late Friday afternoon, the bees were busy finding their respective queens and hives:
At this time, on-scene work is done. Hive boxes from the overturned truck were recovered, restored and returned to use. By morning, most bees should have returned to their hives and those responsible for their delivery will be in charge.
Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) deputies, Whatcom County Public Works, and several bee experts responded. According to WCSO Patrol, the road remained closed as WCSO Division of Emergency Management (DEM). DEM assisted on-scene with several Master Beekeepers.
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.
Early Saturday afternoon’s update stated the bee recovery work was completed and Weidkamp Road would soon be reopened.
There has been no information released as to how many bees were lost.
Although there have been many reported colony losses, honey bees are not at risk of extinction. It is estimated there are more honey bees on Earth than at any time in history, however of the 3,600 bee species native to North America, some are facing a risk of extinction.
Follow the National Pet Rescue on Facebook for the latest animal related news.
