Latest news with #WhatcomCountySheriff
Yahoo
21 hours 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.
BreakingNews.ie
2 days ago
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
Millions of bees escape after lorry overturns
There was a buzz in the air in Washington state as about 250 million honeybees escaped after a lorry overturned. The vehicle hauling an estimated 70,000lb of honeybee hives rolled over close to the Canadian border near Lynden, Whatcom County Sheriff's Office said in social media posts. Advertisement The driver appears to have lost control on a tight turn, causing the trailer to roll into a ditch, county emergency management spokeswoman Amy Cloud said. The driver was uninjured. Emergency services and several bee experts responded to the scene, and local beekeepers helped to recover, restore and reset the hives, according to the sheriff's office. (Whatcom County Sheriff's Office/PA) 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. '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 said. Advertisement The public were advised to avoid the area on Friday, and sheriff's deputies dived into their patrol cars at times to avoid being stung. Honeybees are crucial to the food supply, pollinating more than 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 UN General Assembly sponsored the first World Bee Day on May 20 to bring attention to the bees' plight. Advertisement 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 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 from a truck north of Seattle on Interstate 5 and started stinging people, the newspaper reported at the time.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
250 million bees on the loose in Washington state after truck rolls over
Credit: Whatcom County Sheriff's Office 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. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
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.
Free Malaysia Today
3 days ago
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
Bee alert: US cops send out warning after 250 million insects escape
Millions of bees have been set loose following an accident in Washington. (EPA Images pic) LOS ANGELES : A truck crash that set 250 million bees free has sparked warnings in the western US, with police telling people to avoid swarms of the stinging insects. The accident happened in Washington state in the far northwest of the country, when a semi-trailer carrying a load of hives overturned. '250 million bees are now loose,' wrote Whatcom County Sheriff on its social media page. 'AVOID THE AREA due to the potential of bee escaping and swarming'. Roads in the region, which nestles the border with Canada and is just 30 miles from Vancouver, have been closed as bee experts help with the clean-up. While some beekeepers aim only to produce honey, many others rent out their hives to farmers who need the insects to pollinate their crops.
