Truck accident unleashes 250 million honeybees in northwestern US | Environment News [Video]

A truck carrying millions of honeybees has overturned in the northwestern United States, prompting emergency warnings from local authorities.

The truck, carrying approximately 31,751kg (70,000 pounds) of active beehives, overturned on Friday in Washington state’s Whatcom County – a rural area near the Canadian border, about 48km (30 miles) south of Vancouver.

“250 million bees are now loose,” the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) announced on its official social media page. “Avoid the area due to the potential of bee escaping and swarming.”

Authorities sealed off parts of the area and urged the public to keep a safe distance of at least 200 yards (182 metres) as officials and bee experts helped recover, restore and reset the hives, according to the sheriff’s office.

The goal, officials said, is to safely re-hive the bees and help them locate their queens, a process that could take up to 48 hours.

While some …