Texas Truck Crash Releases 20 Million Bees as Beekeepers Rush to Save Swarms
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Jun 27
Texas Truck Crash Releases 20 Million Bees as Beekeepers Rush to Save Swarms
3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Jun 27
Summary
Local beekeepers and volunteers raced to a Texas crash site after an overturned truck released about 20 million honeybees into the air.
Texas officials told nearby residents to stay indoors while rescuers arrived with beekeeping gear, accepting sting risks to recover as many bees as possible.
Christie Ray, one of the beekeepers on scene, described swarms so dense they looked like dark clouds, with bees clustering heavily enough to snap a tree branch.
The scene underscored the scale of the release: the air smelled of honey, beeswax and bananas—the scent associated with bees when they sting.