Firefighters had to spray millions of angry bees with foam and water, after a semi-truck overturned on an interstate on the outskirts of Seattle early on Friday.
“Everybody’s been stung,” Sergeant Ben Lewis of the Washington State Patrol told local TV stations at the scene.
A truck carrying bee hives spilled millions of bees onto I-5 this morning. Oh, Seattle. pic.twitter.com/x6qL3BAJ6g
— Nathan Heal (@nathanheal) April 17, 2015
The driver told the police he blew a front tire as he tried to merge from I-405 to I-5, causing the truck to tip, spilling most of the 458 beehives on-board, over a trail of about 100 yards.
BREAKING NEWS: A semi-load of bees has rolled over on NB I-5 near 405 near Lynnwood. Here are some pictures. pic.twitter.com/jFqyS0QeAL
— KIRO 7 (@KIRO7Seattle) April 17, 2015
Many of the bees died on the spot, while others were quiescent in the dawn light, before becoming aggressive as the sun came up.
Well it was nice living here a few days, but I'm afraid swarms of angry highway bees means @only1alicia can't stay. pic.twitter.com/OA0xPo1QHR
— Hugh McMullen (@hughadam) April 17, 2015
While police shut off two lanes, beekeepers, called up for an unusual emergency, kept smoking the hives with pungent substance that kept the bees disoriented and swarming on the spot, instead of attacking the passing traffic.
Millions of bees spill onto I-5 near Seattle: http://t.co/c1Cprupvwjpic.twitter.com/cLSSXMw75J
— FOX40 News (@FOX40) April 17, 2015
Coincidentally, the Seattle crash happened just one day after a similarly rare accident in southern France, in which one million bees were killed. La Depeche newspaper reported that after a van with 72 beehive frames struck a car, the bees became stuck in their own nectar, and "glued into a kind of puree."
UPDATE: Possibly 14 million bees were in this truck! #ouch#beespic.twitter.com/1Ph92YhyOq
— JakeWhittenberg (@jakewhittenberg) April 17, 2015