US: Millions of bees escape on Utah road after truck crash; driver, officers stung
- Millions of the insects, which pollinate crops across the country, poured out of the boxes they were travelling in after truck crashed and tipped over
- A rescuer described a wall of honeybees ‘8 feet long, 4 feet deep, and 5 feet high’; around 10 per cent of the invaluable creatures were recovered
At least 10 million bees escaped onto a US motorway after a truck driven by a commercial beekeeper crashed.
Media reports said the vehicle carrying 416 boxes of honeybees, each containing tens of thousands of the insects, used to pollinate crops, was travelling from California to North Dakota and tipped over in Utah, which is known as the beehive state.
Cameron Roden, a public information officer for the Utah Highway Patrol, said Monday’s accident on Interstate 80 happened because the driver drove too fast on a curve, CNN reported.
The driver was taken to hospital with numerous bee stings and minor injuries from the crash. Officers on the scene also received bee stings, the media outlet said. The road was closed for hours.
According to Julie Arthur, the presidency of the Wasatch Beekeepers Association, “at least 10 million bees were in the air”.