Bee truck carrying 14 million insects crashes on to highway

Drivers were advised to close the windows and air vents of their cars as they drove past the 128 spilt hives

A truck accident spilled millions of bees worth $92,000 onto a highway in an accident near the city of Lynnwood in Washington state.

The semi-truck rolled over on Interstate 5 on Friday morning and spilled its entire contents of 14 million bees onto the road.

Beekeepers were reportedly on site within an hour of the 03:30AM crash and began to round up the escaped honeybees.

However, the bees began to grow more agitated as the temperatures began to rise and firemen were forced to spray a mixture of foam and water onto the hives to slow down or kill a number.

A television reporter was seen swatting at the insects on air and mounds of bee carcasses littered the road.

Sgt Ben Lewis of the State Patrol told The Seattle Times, “Everyone’s been stung. This is a first.”

A towing vehicle was able to right the truck and remove it by 8AM but traffic remained at a standstill throughout the morning as crews cleared up the wreck.

Washington State Department of Travel warned all drivers to keep their windows and air vents closed as they passed the bee boxes.

Lewis said that the truck had been exiting a junction when the driver, who was uninjured in the accident, lost control and hit a guardrail before rolling.

Police are investigating whether speed was an issue in the crash and Sgt. Keith Leary told The Seattle Times that driver could face traffic citations, but that there were no criminal charges related to the wreck.

The corner is apparently notoriously sharp and Leary said that there had been several collisions at the point the I-405 merges with I-5.

The truck was holding 458 hives with as many 14 million bees. The bees were being transported from Sunnyside, Yakima County, to a blueberry farm in Lynden, Whatcom County for pollination and were worth $92,000 (£61,560).

Kevin Berendsen, of Belleville farms, who own the blueberry farm told King 5 News: “Without bees, the way we eat and the life we live would not exist as we know it.”

Seth Thompson, also of Belleville Farms said the company was able to save a number of the hives. “We saved 128 hives before the sun came up and it got too nice.”