Millions of bees escaped from an overturned truck in the US state of Washington on Friday, sparking warnings from authorities for the public to avoid the swarm.
WCSO urged people to “avoid the area due to the potential of bees escaping and swarming”, and initially said 250 million bees were loose.
“The plan is to allow the bees to re-hive and find their queen bee,” WCSO said.
“By morning, most bees should have returned to their hives,” WCSO wrote on Facebook.
Footage shared by police showed huge numbers of bees swarming around the overturned lorry.
In the US state of Washington, millions of bees escaped from an overturned truck on Friday, prompting authorities to warn the public to stay away from the swarm.
Several master beekeepers assisted emergency officials after the truck, carrying about 70,000 pounds (31,750 kilograms) of active honey bee hives, overturned on a road close to the Canadian border.
“The objective is to preserve the greatest number of bees possible,” the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) stated soon after the event.
The crash site will be closed “until the rescue is complete,” according to the authorities.
“Avoid the area due to the potential of bees escaping and swarming,” the WCSO asked, initially claiming that 250 million bees were at risk.
A more accurate figure, according to information obtained from one of the beekeepers engaged in recovery efforts, was much lower and more in line with 14 million.
WCSO stated, “The goal is to let the bees re-hive and locate their queen bee.”.
“Within the next 24-48 hours” is when authorities said they hoped this would happen.
Police thanked “the wonderful community of beekeepers” in a social media update later Friday, stating that “over two dozen” had come to assist with rescue efforts.
“Most bees should have gone back to their hives by morning,” WCSO posted on Facebook.
Police released footage that showed a swarm of bees surrounding the overturned truck.
Many beekeepers rent out their hives to farmers who depend on the insects to pollinate their crops, while some beekeepers only want to produce honey.
