Over 25 million bees were accidentally released after a semitrailer overturned and crashed on the interstate in Utah, last week.
According to the authorities, the semitrailer was holding the insects when the crash took place. After the trailer, containing more than 200 beehives toppled over, millions of bees were spotted swarming over interstate 80 on June 27.
Both the driver and a co-driver, who was in the vehicle reportedly suffered minor injuries and were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment while several people were stung by the bees, including the semitrailer’s driver, first responders and others.
While the local beekeepers attempted to rescue as many bees as they could upon arriving at the scene, the owner of the hives later called them off, arguing that the incident is an insurance issue.
“Every bee counts — you want to run up and see if we can help. There’s a lot of them that are dead already, so it’s kind of sad.” Mckay Opeifa stated.
“Unfortunately, more is damaged than not. Maybe 5% that’s salvageable. It’s sad to see.” Fellow beekeeper Sam Cohen added.
Moreover, as the crew tried to clean up the beehives and captured the swarming bees, the authorities had to close one lane on the interstate for a few hours and shut down a hiking trail in the area due to the swarm of bees.
In an official statement released by Utah Highway Patrol Lt. Randall Richey following the accident, the driver revealed that there was a loud bang prior to the crash and suggested that there may have been a mechanical problem.
“However, a preliminary investigation found the driver was going too fast through curves, and he was cited for driving at a speed too high for conditions,” Richey said.
On Monday, firefighters were notified by the trucking company, which had been in contact with the bees’ owner. Richey said that the company told authorities that the owner wants the crews to only spray down the bugs with firefighting foam for safety and liability reasons.
Meanwhile, over 2.5 million of bees were only saved by the volunteer beekeepers, Wasatch Beekeepers Association president Julie Arthur said. She also added that the fire suppressant is lethal to bees and that only about 10 percent of them survived.
Arthur revealed that the bees were to be used for pollination of food crops on the West Coast.
