250 million bees escape after semi-truck overturns in Washington State: ‘Don't go anywhere near them'
Roughly 250 million bees escaped into the wild when a commercial semi-truck rolled over in Washington state, prompting officials to warn locals to stay away from the area.
The truck was hauling 70,000 pounds of honey bee hives when it overturned in a rural part of Whatcom County, just north of Seattle near the Canadian border, around 4 a.m. Friday, according to the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office.
6 Millions of bees broke free after a semi-truck overturned in Washington state.
KOMO News
The bees broke free around 9 a.m. when the hives 'came off' the truck.
Residents were urged to avoid the area and keep their distance by at least 200 yards.
'No one could have predicted 250 MILLION BEES would be loose on a road,' Washington Emergency Management Division wrote on X Friday morning. 'So, stay away. Just…. Don't go anywhere near them.'
The Whatcom County Sheriff's Office shared on Facebook that emergency crews called in over two dozen beekeepers to help contain the situation.
'We're literally grabbing a bee box and then grabbing the frames that contain the honey, the bees and the brood, putting them back in the box and restacking them on pallets to hopefully have some survival rate to work with here,' local beekeeper Derek Condit told KOMO News as swarms of bees surrounded him.
6 Over two dozen local beekeepers responded to the shocking situation.
KOMO News
6 Bees escaped from their hives hours after the truck overturned.
Whatcom County Sheriff's Office / Facebook
'When they said 200 million bees, they meant it,' Matt Klein, the Deputy Director of Emergency Management for the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office, told KOMO News.
Klein was stung a dozen times and still had stingers 'attached to his ears' late Friday night, the Washington Emergency Management Division revealed on X.
'But they're honeybees, so the sting isn't as severe as some other bees, so, so far, everybody is fine,' Klein told KOMO News earlier in the day.
6 The incident happened near the Canadian border in a rural part of Washington state.
KOMO News
6 Locals were urged to avoid the area and the road was shut down.
Whatcom County Sheriff's Office
Journalists covering the unexpected incident were even targeted and stung by bees on the scene.
KOMO reporter Denise Whitaker revealed that she was stung by one of the many 'aggressive' insects, even though she was approximately 300 yards from the truck.
'At this time, on-scene work is done,' the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office wrote on Facebook on Friday night. 'Hive boxes from the overturned truck were recovered, restored and returned to use. By morning, most bees should have returned to their hives and those responsible for their delivery will be in charge.'
6 Beekeepers suspect most bees will return to their hives by Saturday morning.
KOMO News
'These bees are going to swarm in the local areas and start new hives, luckily, so there will be re-pollination in this area, but there will be great losses as well,' Condit told KOMO News.
The sheriff's office added, 'There is no general health risk to the public.'
The truck was transporting the bees to South Datoka after they pollinated a local blueberry field, the Cascadia Daily News reported.
Whatcom County is home to Bee City USA, based in Bellingham, which helps protect and grow bee populations while playing a 'crucial' role in the county's berry industry.
However, the county was also the first place a murder hornet nest was discovered in the United States in 2020.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
9 hours ago
- New York Post
Artist drowns sculpture in plastic waste in front of UN office during pollution talks
As nations began a second week of negotiations Monday for a global accord to end plastic pollution, an artist heaped piles of plastic waste onto a large sculpture in front of the United Nations office. Delegates to the treaty talks pass by the sculpture daily in a reminder of their responsibility to solve the plastic pollution crisis. The talks are scheduled to conclude on Thursday. Benjamin Von Wong, a Canadian artist and activist, designed the nearly 6-meter (18-foot) sculpture called the 'Thinker's Burden' and built it with a team. It's his take on the famous sculpture by Auguste Rodin, 'The Thinker' in Paris. Advertisement 4 Benjamin Von Wong, a Canadian artist and activist, poses in front of a sculpture that he designed in front of the United Nations office in Geneva, Switzerland. AP There is a male figure in deep thought, like Rodin depicted. But instead of sitting atop a rock, Von Wong's figure sits atop Mother Earth while cradling a baby and clutching plastic bottles. A strand of DNA intertwines them to highlight the health impacts of plastic pollution. With the help of volunteers, Von Wong is adding plastic waste to the installation over the course of the negotiations to reflect the growing cost of inaction. He climbed a ladder Monday to reach the top of the sculpture and weave plastic bottles through the DNA. He put a plastic toy car in front. 'By the end of this week, we should have a sculpture almost completely drowned in plastics; however, the hope is, a strong and ambitious plastics treaty means that we can solve this problem once and for all,' he said. Advertisement The Minderoo Foundation, an Australian philanthropic organization, was the largest donor for the project. Local nonprofits and community groups collected the plastic trash. Standing by the sculpture, Maria Ivanova, an expert in international environmental governance, said it 'wakes you up.' Ivanova is the co-director of the Plastics Center at Northeastern University in Boston. 'People don't change their minds because of facts. They do because of feelings,' she said. 'And this is where I think art is absolutely critical to shift the needle on policy.' Advertisement 4 Von Wong began putting the plastic on the sculptures as nations negotiate a global accord to end plastic pollution. AP 4 'By the end of this week, we should have a sculpture almost completely drowned in plastics; however, the hope is, a strong and ambitious plastics treaty means that we can solve this problem once and for all,' Von Wong said. AFP via Getty Images Delegates and tourists stopped to ask Von Wong about his work and posed for photos in front of it. Michael Bonser, head of the Canadian delegation, called the artwork 'extraordinarily profound.' 'It gives us a sense, every day, of what we need to be doing inside the room, what we need to walk out with. And that's a deal that allows us to reverse the trend,' he said. 'That's going to be challenging, but I think it's possible.' Advertisement About 3,700 people are taking part in the talks, representing 184 countries and more than 600 organizations. They are crafting the first global, legally binding treaty on plastic pollution. 4 With the help of volunteers, Von Wong is adding plastic waste to the installation over the course of the negotiations to reflect the growing cost of inaction. AP Many agree that the pace of the negotiations needs to speed up. They arrived in Geneva with hundreds of disagreements to be resolved. The number of unresolved issues grew last week, instead of shrinking. European Commissioner Jessika Roswall said she's concerned about the lack of progress, and 'it's time to get results.' Roswall is commissioner for environment, water resilience, and a competitive circular economy. United Nations Environment Programme Executive Director Inger Andersen told reporters it's still possible to agree on a treaty this week that ends plastic pollution. 'This is within grasp,' Andersen said. 'The window remains open to leave Geneva with this treaty.'
Los Angeles Times
a day ago
- Los Angeles Times
Artist covers sculpture in plastic garbage at U.N. plastic pollution treaty talks
GENEVA — As nations began a second week of negotiations Monday for a global accord to end plastic pollution, an artist heaped piles of plastic waste onto a large sculpture in front of the United Nations office. Delegates to the treaty talks pass by the sculpture daily in a reminder of their responsibility to solve the plastic pollution crisis. The talks are scheduled to conclude Thursday. Benjamin Von Wong, a Canadian artist and activist, designed the nearly 18-foot sculpture called the 'Thinker's Burden' and built it with a team. It's his take on the famous sculpture by Auguste Rodin, 'The Thinker' in Paris. There is a male figure in deep thought, like Rodin depicted. But instead of sitting atop a rock, Von Wong's figure sits atop Mother Earth while cradling a baby and clutching plastic bottles. A strand of DNA intertwines them to highlight the health effects of plastic pollution. With the help of volunteers, Von Wong is adding plastic waste to the installation over the course of the negotiations to reflect the growing cost of inaction. He climbed a ladder Monday to reach the top of the sculpture and weave plastic bottles through the DNA. He put a plastic toy car in front. 'By the end of this week, we should have a sculpture almost completely drowned in plastics, however, the hope is, a strong and ambitious plastics treaty means that we can solve this problem once and for all,' he said. The Minderoo Foundation, an Australian philanthropic organization, was the largest donor for the project. Local nonprofits and community groups collected the plastic trash. Standing by the sculpture, Maria Ivanova, an expert in international environmental governance, said it 'wakes you up.' Ivanova is the co-director of the Plastics Center at Northeastern University in Boston. 'People don't change their minds because of facts. They do because of feelings,' she said. 'And this is where I think art is absolutely critical to shift the needle on policy.' Delegates and tourists stopped to ask Von Wong about his work and pose for photos in front of it. Michael Bonser, head of the Canadian delegation, called the artwork 'extraordinarily profound.' 'It gives us a sense, every day, of what we need to be doing inside the room, what we need to walk out with. And that's a deal that allows us to reverse the trend,' he said. 'That's going to be challenging, but I think it's possible.' About 3,700 people are taking part in the talks, representing 184 countries and more than 600 organizations. They are crafting the first global, legally binding treaty on plastics pollution. Many agree the pace of the negotiations needs to speed up. They arrived in Geneva with hundreds of disagreements to be resolved. The number of unresolved issues grew last week, instead of shrinking. European Commissioner Jessika Roswall said she's concerned about the lack of progress, and 'it's time to get results.' Roswall is commissioner for environment, water resilience and a competitive circular economy. United Nations Environment Programme Executive Director Inger Andersen told reporters it's still possible to agree on a treaty this week that ends plastic pollution. 'This is within grasp,' Andersen said. 'The window remains open to leave Geneva with this treaty.' McDermott writes for the Associated Press.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Artist covers sculpture in plastics as sign for delegates at pollution summit
As nations began a second week of negotiations on Monday for a global accord to end plastic pollution, an artist heaped piles of plastic waste onto a large sculpture in front of the United Nations office. Delegates to the treaty talks pass by the sculpture daily in a reminder of their responsibility to solve the plastic pollution crisis. The talks are scheduled to conclude on Thursday. Benjamin Von Wong, a Canadian artist and activist, designed the nearly six-metre tall sculpture called the Thinker's Burden and built it with a team. It is his take on the famous sculpture by Auguste Rodin, The Thinker in Paris. There is a male figure in deep thought, like Rodin depicted. But instead of sitting atop a rock, Mr Von Wong's figure sits atop Mother Earth while cradling a baby and clutching plastic bottles. A strand of DNA intertwines them to highlight the health impacts of plastic pollution. With the help of volunteers, Von Wong is adding plastic waste to the installation over the course of the negotiations to reflect the growing cost of inaction. He climbed a ladder on Monday to reach the top of the sculpture and weave plastic bottles through the DNA. He put a plastic toy car in front. 'By the end of this week, we should have a sculpture almost completely drowned in plastics, however, the hope is, a strong and ambitious plastics treaty means that we can solve this problem once and for all,' he said. About 3,700 people are taking part in the talks, representing 184 countries and more than 600 organisations. They are aiming to craft the first global, legally binding treaty on plastics pollution.
