Millions of bees were unleashed after a tractor-trailer carrying beehives overturned on a highway near Yellowstone National Park in Montana.
The truck full of beehives tipped over on Tuesday on U.S. Route 191 near the western edge of the national park. Park officials implemented traffic control measures as the scene was cleaned up from the spill, according to the East Idaho News.
About 250 million bees got loose as a result of the crash. Local law enforcement, firefighters and Montana state personnel responded to the scene. A Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office deputy was stung nine times while directing traffic, according to KPAX-TV.
James Peterson, the dispatch manager for the company that operates the overturned tractor-trailer, told Cowboy State Daily that they have “been working one-on-one with the company [that owns the hives], and they’re trying to save what they can. We haven’t dealt much with bees. This was our second bee call in 15 years, and we still have the beekeeping suits we got for the first call.”
The company that owns the hives could be looking at a significant loss.
Michael Jordan, a beekeeper who was not involved in the incident, told Cowboy State Daily: “I’d think about 40% to 50% of what’s there is salvageable, maybe. … If the queens are in Yellowstone, they’re going to migrate into Yellowstone’s forests. You can prevent that if you find the queens and put them in individual hives, but you have 48 hours to do it.”
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