Happy ending after millions of bees escape not far from Vancouver
A wild incident that happened just over the B.C.-U.S. border, about an hour from Vancouver, involving tens of millions of bees, has a happy ending.
According to the Whatcom County Government, on Friday last week, a truck carrying boxes of bees tipped over, releasing many, if not all, of the bees into the air.
Initial estimates suggested there were around 250 million bees, but a more recent report reveals that number is closer to 14 million.
In good news for the environment, this story has a happy ending.
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The accident occurred in Lynden, located just south of the Washington-British Columbia border. While that’s roughly a one-hour and 10-minute drive from Vancouver (depending on traffic), it’s less than half an hour away from the Peace Arch border crossing. More specifically, it occurred on Weidkamp Road between W. Badger and Loomis Trail.
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As the incident was unfolding, Whatcom County warned residents to stay away from the area “due to the potential of bee escape and swarming.”
A bee expert was on the scene along with sheriff’s office deputies and Whatcom County Public Works.
Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office released a video following the crash, showing bees in the air, swarming and landing on the truck. You can also see the number of boxes that were ejected from the truck in the footage.
On Sunday, Whatcom County indicated that the situation had been resolved.
The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office stated that members of the beekeeping community came to the rescue, with over two dozen responding to the scene. The sheriff’s office says they helped to “ensure the rescue of millions of pollinating honey bees would be as successful as possible. ”
“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,” the sheriff’s office added.