Latest news with #DerekCondit
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
WA beekeeper working to save millions of bees involved in crash in Whatcom County
WHATCOM COUNTY, Wash. - Millions of bees escaped in Whatcom County after a semi-truck overturned on Friday. The Whatcom County Sheriff's Office initially reported 250 million bees had escaped, but yesterday they changed that estimate to 14 million bees. We talked with a beekeeper who was on scene and gave us a better look at what those beekeepers experienced on Friday. Big picture view It's the buzz heard across social media, bees as far as the eye can see. They were in the air and on the ground, surrounding those trying to save them by the millions. For beekeeper Derek Condit, that day quickly changed and became an experience that went bee-yond anything he could imagine. He was able to capture video on Friday after a semi-truck carrying 70,000 pounds of honey bee hives overturned in Whatcom County. The crash sent an estimated 14 million bees swarming on Weidkamp Road near Lynden. What they're saying "The sheriff's department was probably several hundred yards down the road because you couldn't approach it unless you were completely suited up," Condit said. They tried to save the bees by putting the beehives back together – not an easy task, since hundreds of beehives slid off the truck, got mixed up, damaged and some even opened up! Local perspective The Whatcom County Sheriff's Office and the beekeepers are now giving the bees a chance to re-hive and find their queen bee. "Many of the queens did do just that. They swarmed in the nearby trees and local forest where the other bees will meet up with them and start a new colony, hopefully," said the beekeeper. Derek told Fox 13, he learned these bees had just finished pollinating blueberry fields and were headed to South Dakota, adding another sting to a sticky situation. "It's going to be nearly a complete loss for all of these hives because of the devastation," he said. "It's not often somebody gets to be in the presence of millions of bees while they're there, but they also had, believe, not, a calming feel to them, almost like they felt like we were there to help." The Source Information for this story came from original FOX 13 Seattle interviews. Homicide investigation underway after 5-year-old dies in Federal Way, WA Major 5-day SR 18 closure at I-90 in Snoqualmie, WA Alaska man pinned by 700-pound boulder for 3 hours walks away unharmed Why hasn't anyone been charged in Seattle clash arrests? What we know Mandatory driver's education to expand under new Washington law To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter. Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.
USA Today
a day ago
- Science
- USA Today
Beekeepers swarm to rescue millions of escaped bees after truck crash
Beekeepers swarm to rescue millions of escaped bees after truck crash Show Caption Hide Caption Warmer temperatures could put western honey bees at risk Warmer temperatures could put western honey bees at risk of collapse. Researchers at Washington State University and the Department of Agriculture point to warmer autumns and winters causing big problems. Fox - Seattle Beekeepers swarmed to the rescue this weekend, saving millions of honeybees after a semi-truck carrying their hives crashed. The truck was hauling 70,000 pounds of beehives when it overturned in a rural county in northern Washington state, letting loose about 14 million bees, according to the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office. Sheriff's deputies responded to the pre-dawn crash on Friday, May 30. So did master beekeepers – two dozen of them, according to the sheriff's office. Beekeepers began the careful work of rebuilding about 300 beehives, said Derek Condit, one of the beekeepers who responded to the scene. "Today, I had the incredible privilege of helping to rescue millions of honey bees," he said in a Facebook post with a video showing workers in protective white suits and hoods, their backs slathered in bees as millions swarmed in the air, searching for their queen. In a statement, the sheriff's office thanked the "wonderful community of beekeepers" who showed up to "help ensure the rescue of millions of pollinating honey bees would be as successful as possible." One-third of North America's native bee species are at risk of extinction, according to a study published in the scientific journal of the National Academy of Sciences. Flowering plants need pollinators like bees to aid their reproductive process. About 90% of wild flowering plants and 75% of food crops around the world depend on pollination to produce fruits and seeds, according to the National Park Service. The bee recovery work at the crash site was complete by Sunday morning, according to the sheriff's office, though it wasn't immediately clear how many of the bees were saved.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
250 Million Bees Swarm Washington State After Escaping Overturned Truck: ‘Stay Away'
Approximately 250 million bees escaped from an overturned truck in Washington State on Friday, May 30 Several agencies and master beekeepers responded to the scene to recollect the bees Authorities have warned people to "stay away" from the area where the incident occurred for at least 200 yards over the next 24-48 hoursAround 250 million bees are on the loose in Washington State after a truck transporting the winged insects overturned. At around 4:00 a.m. local time on Friday, May 30, a commercial truck carrying an estimated 70,000 pounds of honey beehives overturned on Weidkamp Road near Lynden. Shortly after 9:00 a.m., the beehives fell off the truck, causing the bees to escape, the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office stated in a news release shared on Facebook. 'Master beekeepers are on scene, and others are on the way, to assist in re-setting the box hives,' WCSO said, per the news release. 'The plan is to allow the bees to re-hive and find their queen bee. That should occur within the next 24-48 hours. The goal is to save as many of the bees as possible.' WCSO deputies and Whatcom County Public Works responded to the scene, along with the WCSO Division of Emergency Management (DEM), who were assisted by several Master Beekeepers. Authorities have advised locals to avoid Weidkamp between Loomis Trail Road and West Badger, Berthusen Park, for at least 200 yards, as the area remains closed for the next 24 to 48 hours. Derek Condit, author of The Natural Beekeeper's Path: Treatment-Free Practices for a Living World, volunteered to help collect the bees. He explained to Komo News that the beehives 'crushed' into each other when the truck fell over, so they're having to 'rebuild' them, which has been a delicate and difficult process. 'It's not necessarily something we can go up with the keepers and just grab the beehives that are collapsing and falling apart,' Condit told the outlet. 'So we're basically one by one rebuilding the beehives, putting the frames back in and have to stack them.' '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,' he added. Condit posted a video on Facebook, showing millions of honey bees buzzing in the air during the recollection process. He sported a white beekeeper suit while joined by other rescuers in protective gear. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The master beekeepers stopped working on the hives at 2:00 p.m. local time on Friday, per Komo News. 'No one could have predicted 250 MILLION BEES would be loose on a road. So, stay away. Just…. Don't go anywhere near them," The WA Emergency Management team wrote on X. Authorities have assured the public that the bees pose no health risk, however, they warn that anyone allergic to bee stings 'should check the State Department of Health webpage on bees and wasps,' per the WCSO news release. Read the original article on People
New York Post
3 days ago
- General
- New York Post
250 million bees escape after semi-truck overturns in Washington State: ‘Don't go anywhere near them'
'Bee' on alert. 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.
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
250 million bees on the loose in Washington state after truck rolls over
An estimated 250 million bees are on the loose in the US state of Washington after a lorry carrying beehives rolled over on Friday. Authorities reported that a commercial lorry carrying 70,000 pounds of pollinator beehives overturned in the town of Lynden, five miles south of the border with Canada, allowing 250 million bees to make their escape. '250 million bees are now loose,' the Whatcom county sheriff's department posted on social media. 'AVOID THE AREA due to the potential of bee escape and swarming.' More than two dozen beekeepers assisted emergency responders – some of whom were stung – with recapturing the bees, a spokesman for the sheriff's department told local media. The swarm of bees was so dense, it was 'like a cloud', Derek Condit, one of the beekeepers, told local media. 'It was pretty chaotic.' Some of the beekeepers were reportedly stung over a dozen times and were using tape to plug holes in their suits. 'I've never had that many bees – angry bees – at one time,' said Russell Deptuch, another local beekeeper, in an interview with local media. The lorry was on its way to the US state of South Dakota when it rolled over early on Friday morning. However, it was a botched rescue mission several hours later which ultimately caused the mass flight as a tow truck attempted to pull the vehicle out of a ditch, causing the hives to fall off. 'Unfortunately, that didn't happen as smoothly as was hoped, and some of the beehives broke open, which caused all the bees to swarm, which is how we're in the situation we're in now,' said Matt Klein, the deputy director of the division of emergency management for the sheriff's department, in a statement. The aim of the recovery operation is to save as many bees as possible and allow them to re-hive and find their queen, which the sheriff's department estimated would take one or two days. Although there is a large number of bees needing to be recaptured, the insects are social and drawn to their hives, meaning they are likely to stay near the truck. 'That's where their queen and the next generation of bees (the 'brood') are located,' Gene Robinson, a professor of entomology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, told The New York Times. Each hive tends to contain between 40,000 and 60,000 bees, Mr Robinson said. As of Friday afternoon, the beekeepers and emergency responders had restored most of the hives, and the majority of the insects are expected to return by Saturday morning, the sheriff's department said. Until then, the road has been closed and the public advised to stay at least 200 yards from the area.
