Millions of bees swarmed through the air after a semi truck toppled over on a Washington highway early Friday morning, the Associated Press reported.
A truck from the Beeville Honey and Beekeeping Supply had just finished merging onto Interstate 5 in Lynnwood when it overturned, spilling some 450 hives onto the road, State Patrol Trooper Travis Shearer told the AP.
About 13.7 million bees were released into the night as a result of the 3:30 a.m. incident. First responders at the scene were constantly swatting their hands in the air.
"I think everybody there got stung," Shearer told the AP.
As the sun rose, the bees became more aggressive due to the heat. Firefighters arrived and doused the hives with a foamy substance, killing many of them. The cleanup took over seven hours, the state trooper said.
The 36-year-old driver, who was not injured, said a busted tire caused his truck to topple over, KING 5 reported. But state troopers said the incident could have been caused by speeding.
The bees were being transported from a city in central Washington to a blueberry farm near the Canadian border. Attempts seeking comment from the company were unsuccessful, the AP reported.
