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`.
Emergency officials were helped by several master bee-keepers afterthe truck, which had been hauling roughly 31,750 kg of active honey bee hives, flipped over, the BBC reported.
BBC quoted Whatcom County Sheriff`s Office`s (WCSO) statement saying `the goal is to save as many bees as possible`.
WCSO said Bee-keepers worked with police `to assist in re-setting the box hives`, containers beekeepers use to house honeybees.
`The plan is to allow the bees to re-hive and find their queen bee`, the statement said adding: `That should occur within the next 24-48 hours`.
