Latest news with #AmyCloud
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
14 Million Bees Unleashed on Highway After a Truck Crash—Local Beekeepers Rushed to Save Them
Rescue workers in Washington state faced a precarious situation recently when a commercial semi-truck carrying 70,000 pounds of honeybee hives overturned on May 30, releasing 14 million bees into the wild, according to the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office. The driver, who was not hurt, likely "didn't navigate well enough on a tight turn, causing the trailer to roll," Amy Cloud, a spokesperson for the local Whatcom County Sheriff's Department, told The Seattle Times. Several beekeepers, deputies, and emergency responders assisted at the scene, located on Weidkamp Road near Lynden, a town close to the Canadian border. "I had the incredible privilege of helping to rescue millions of honeybees," one of the beekeepers, Derek Condit, wrote in a Facebook post accompanied by a video of the swarming bees. The road was closed for 24 to 48 hours, giving the bees time to reenter their hives and find their queen. "Bees are highly social by nature and drawn to their hives because that's where their queen and the next generation of bees (the 'brood') are located," Gene E. Robinson, an entomologist at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, told The New York Times about the rescue efforts. Per the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office, most of the bees returned to their hives, but it's unclear how many survived the ordeal. Some deputies were stung during the rescue efforts, Cloud told The Seattle Times, but no one had to seek medical treatment. It's not unusual for beekeepers to transport bees from one location to another so they don't deplete resources in one particular spot. 'Migratory beekeeping is essential for the production of many important fruit, nut, and vegetable crops, and migratory beekeepers are unsung heroes,' Robinson told The New York Times. The goal of the rescue mission was to save as many bees as possible. According to the National Park Service, about 90 percent of wild flowering plants and 75 percent of food crops around the world depend on pollination to produce fruits and seeds, and bees are an essential part of this process. Read the original article on Martha Stewart
Vancouver Sun
2 days ago
- General
- Vancouver Sun
About 250 million honeybees loose near U.S.-Canada border after truck overturns
There was a buzz in the air Friday in northwestern Washington state as about 250 million honeybees escaped a commercial truck that overturned. The truck hauling an estimated 70,000 pounds (31,751 kilograms) of honeybee hives rolled over around 4 a.m. close to the Canadian border near Lynden, the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office said in social media posts. It appears the driver did not navigate a tight turn well enough, causing the trailer to roll into a ditch, county emergency management spokesperson Amy Cloud said in an email. The driver was uninjured, Cloud said. Deputies, county public works employees and several bee experts responded to the scene. The box hives later came off the truck, and local beekeepers swarmed to help recover, restore and reset the hives, according to the sheriff's office. 250 million bees escape after truck overturns in Washington State yesterday on May 30, 2025. The plan is to allow the bees to return to their hives and find their queen bee in the next day or two, according to the sheriff's office. The goal is to save as many of the bees as possible. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'Thank you to the wonderful community of beekeepers: over two dozen showed up to help ensure the rescue of millions of pollinating honey bees would be as successful as possible,' the sheriff's office post said. The public was advised to avoid the area on Friday, and sheriff's deputies dove into in their squad cars at times to avoid being stung. Honeybees are crucial to the food supply, pollinating over 100 crops including nuts, vegetables, berries, citrus and melons. Bees and other pollinators have been declining for years, and experts blame insecticides, parasites, disease, climate change and lack of a diverse food supply. In 2018, the U.N. General Assembly sponsored the first 'World Bee Day' on May 20 to bring attention to the bees' plight. Beekeepers often transport millions of bees from one location to another because leaving them in one location for too long can deplete resources for other pollinators, The Seattle Times reported. Alan Woods, president of the Washington State Beekeepers Association, told the newspaper the state should have a standardized 'emergency bee response' for bee vehicle crashes. In 2015, 14 million bees escaped a truck north of Seattle on Interstate 5 and started stinging people, the newspaper reported at the time. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Edmonton Journal
2 days ago
- General
- Edmonton Journal
About 250 million honeybees loose near U.S.-Canada border after truck overturns
Article content There was a buzz in the air Friday in northwestern Washington state as about 250 million honeybees escaped a commercial truck that overturned. The truck hauling an estimated 70,000 pounds (31,751 kilograms) of honeybee hives rolled over around 4 a.m. close to the Canadian border near Lynden, the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office said in social media posts. It appears the driver did not navigate a tight turn well enough, causing the trailer to roll into a ditch, county emergency management spokesperson Amy Cloud said in an email. The driver was uninjured, Cloud said. Deputies, county public works employees and several bee experts responded to the scene. The box hives later came off the truck, and local beekeepers swarmed to help recover, restore and reset the hives, according to the sheriff's office.
7NEWS
3 days ago
- General
- 7NEWS
250 million bees released onto road on the Canadian-US border as truck overturns
A semi-truck carrying 250 million bees and their hives overturned on the Canadian - US border on Friday, unleashing an ominous cloud of unhappily buzzing insects. But more than two dozen volunteer beekeepers from the region of Whatcom County, snuggled along the U.S.-Canada border, may have saved the day, the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office said. They helped restore hives that had become dislodged in the crash on a Washington state roadway, it said. 'Hive boxes from the overturned truck were recovered, restored and returned to use,' the sheriff's office said. 'By morning, most bees should have returned to their hives and those responsible for their delivery will be in charge.' It appears the driver did not navigate a tight turn well enough, causing the trailer to roll into a ditch, county emergency management spokeswoman Amy Cloud said. The driver was uninjured. 'The goal is to save as many of the bees as possible' The workday started with more uncertainty than optimism, as the crash shut down a roadway and inspired the sheriff's office to warn residents it could take a few days to corral the escapees. 'The plan is to allow the bees to re-hive and find their queen bee,' the office said. 'That should occur within the next 24–48 hours. The goal is to save as many of the bees as possible.' Katie Buckley, the pollinator health coordinator for the Washington State Department of Agriculture, indicated many of the bees will not only survive but reconnect with their hives and travel on to their destination. 'Bees are actually surprisingly sturdy,' she said. Locals were still urged to avoid the bees, and the area of the overturned semi-truck, because they were probably unhappy about being ejected, even if separation from their hives is temporary. 'They're also probably having a bad day,' she said. Sheriff's deputies were seen diving into their squad cars at times to avoid being stung. The sheriff's office, meanwhile, said the roadway could reopen Saturday morning, when the insects' owners would most likely take over, according to a statement. A local news outlet said it was working to determine where the bees were headed. The sheriff's office did not say. The sheriff's office thanked 'the wonderful community of beekeepers', saying that its members 'showed up to help ensure the rescue of millions of pollinating honey bees would be as successful as possible'. Honeybees are crucial to the food supply, pollinating over 100 crops including nuts, vegetables, berries, citrus and melons. Bees and other pollinators have been declining for years, and experts blame insecticides, parasites, disease, climate change and lack of a diverse food supply. Beekeepers often transport millions of bees from one location to another because leaving them in one location for too long can deplete resources for other pollinators. -With AP
India Today
3 days ago
- General
- India Today
Video: Buzz on Washington streets as 250 million bees escape after truck crashes
There was a buzz in the air Friday in northwestern Washington state as about 250 million honeybees escaped a commercial truck that truck hauling an estimated 70,000 pounds (31,751 kilograms) of honeybee hives rolled over around 4 a.m. close to the Canadian border near Lynden, the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office said in social media appears the driver did not navigate a tight turn well enough, causing the trailer to roll into a ditch, county emergency management spokesperson Amy Cloud said in an email. The driver was uninjured, Cloud said. advertisement Deputies, county public works employees and several bee experts responded to the scene. The box hives later came off the truck, and local beekeepers swarmed to help recover, restore and reset the hives, according to the sheriff's plan is to allow the bees to return to their hives and find their queen bee in the next day or two, according to the sheriff's office. The goal is to save as many of the bees as possible.'Thank you to the wonderful community of beekeepers: over two dozen showed up to help ensure the rescue of millions of pollinating honey bees would be as successful as possible,' the sheriff's office post public was advised to avoid the area on Friday, and sheriff's deputies dove into in their squad cars at times to avoid being are crucial to the food supply, pollinating over 100 crops including nuts, vegetables, berries, citrus and melons. Bees and other pollinators have been declining for years, and experts blame insecticides, parasites, disease, climate change and lack of a diverse food 2018, the UN General Assembly sponsored the first 'World Bee Day' on May 20 to bring attention to the bees' often transport millions of bees from one location to another because leaving them in one location for too long can deplete resources for other pollinators, The Seattle Times Woods, president of the Washington State Beekeepers Association, told the newspaper the state should have a standardised 'emergency bee response' for bee vehicle crashes. In 2015, 14 million bees escaped a truck north of Seattle on Interstate 5 and started stinging people, the newspaper reported at the time. IN THIS STORY#United States of America
