Overturned Truck on a Utah Highway Releases At Least 10 Million Bees Into the Air

At least 10 million bees were released into the air after a truck flipped over during a crash along a Utah Highway earlier this week.

The overturned semi-truck on Interstate 80 at around 10:40 a.m. on Monday, June 27, was carrying hundreds of boxes containing the bees, which were being transported from California to Dakota.

The truck driver is said to be a beekeeper from an undisclosed commercial organization.

Local authorities said that over speeding was the main cause of the crash, which did not cause any "human fatalities."

However, the driver was sent to the hospital due to minor injuries from the crash, as well as multiple bee stings that also targeted responding state troopers.

The authorities attempted to capture the bee swarm. But, the beekeeper reportedly claimed that capturing them is not necessary.

The challenge also lies from the fact that it is almost impossible to re-collect the extremely large number of bees flying simultaneously into the air.

Beekeeping officials treat the incident as a disaster and thus consider conducting a so-called "rescue mission." Still, it is unclear if such feat is possible, and as to how many bees have been rescued already at the time of writing of this article.

Utah Highway Truck Crash

(Photo : Photo by FREDERICK FLORIN/AFP via Getty Images)

Cameron Roden, a public information officer at the Utah Highway Patrol, told CNN that the truck crash happened since the driver was driving too fast while turning into a curve part of the I-80 Utah highway on Monday morning.

Following the crash, the eastbound of I-80's right lane was temporarily closed for approximately four hours due to clean up at the crash site.

The vehicle crash was not the only threat, as the released bee swarm from the truck also stung the driver and members of the Utah Highway Patrol.

Julie Arthur, the president of Wasatch Beekeepers Association, also told CNN that the truck was transporting 416 boxes, which contains between 50,000 and 100,000 honeybees.

The winged insects are being used to pollinate crops across the United States.

It was Arthur who confirmed the current estimate of the huge bee swarm, describing the incident as a "gigantic mess" where both honey and honeycomb wax melting under the heat of the Sun.

Some of the boxes were also covered with fire foam that the emergency personnel used to spray some of the bees.

Also Read: 63 Endangered Penguins Stung to Death by Swarm of Bees in Cape Town

Conflicting Estimates

The CNN report confirmed that at least 10 million bees were involved in the semitrailer crash on Monday. The figure was also confirmed by Arthur based on the US media agency's article.

However, a separate yet related piece from The Washington Post on Saturday evening, July 2, cited statements from law enforcement and beekeepers that more than 25 million bees escaped the truck after the crash.

Additional details of the incident also indicated that the truck also had a co-driver, who also sustained minor injuries from the crash and numerous bee stings.

The identities of both drivers were not publicly identified, according to The Washington Post.