BELLINGHAM, Wash. — There was a buzz in the air Friday in northwestern Washington state as about 250 million honeybees escaped a commercial truck that overturned.
The truck hauling an estimated 70,000 pounds of honeybee hives rolled over about 4 a.m. close to the Canadian border near Lynden, the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office said in social media posts.
It appears the driver did not navigate a tight turn well enough, causing the trailer to roll into a ditch, county emergency management spokesperson Amy Cloud said in an email. She said the driver was not injured.
A truck hauling an estimated 70,000 pounds of honeybee hives sits overturned Friday near Lynden, Wash.
Deputies, county public works employees and several bee experts responded to the scene. The box hives later came off the truck, and local beekeepers swarmed to help recover, restore and reset the hives, according to the sheriff's office.
The goal is to save as many of the bees as possible. The plan is to allow the bees to return to their hives and find their queen bee in the next day or two, according to the sheriff's office.
"Thank you to the wonderful community of beekeepers: over two dozen showed up to help ensure the rescue of millions of pollinating honey bees would be as successful as possible," the sheriff's office post said.
The public was advised to avoid the area Friday, and sheriff's deputies dove into their squad cars at times to avoid being stung.
Honeybees are crucial to the food supply, pollinating more than 100 crops including nuts, vegetables, berries, citrus and melons. Bee and other pollinator numbers have declined for years, and experts blame insecticides, parasites, disease, climate change and lack of a diverse food supply.
On the eighth annual “World Bee Day” on May 20, about 400,000 bees in urban rooftop hives in Cologne, Germany, were busy at work making honey.
In 2018, the U.N. General Assembly sponsored the first "World Bee Day" on May 20 to bring attention to the bees' plight.
Beekeepers often transport millions of bees from one location to another because leaving them in one location for too long can deplete resources for other pollinators, The Seattle Times reported.
Alan Woods, president of the Washington State Beekeepers Association, told the newspaper the state should have a standardized "emergency bee response" for bee vehicle crashes. In 2015, 14 million bees escaped a truck north of Seattle on Interstate 5 and started stinging people, the newspaper reported at the time.
The plight of bees and efforts to protect them
Threats to bees
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Pictured: Bees congregate around their queen. Wealth of Geeks
Insecticides in recent years have come under fire for being toxic to humans and animals, as well as having unintended consequences for other insects.
For example, Fipronil is a broad-spectrum chemical insecticide that disrupts the insect central nervous system. It’s generally used to control ants, beetles, cockroaches, fleas, ticks, and termites. In 2018, it was confirmed that Fipronil is highly toxic to bees and that, when used, it contaminates the pollen they collect.
Unfortunately, the pesticide is still in wide use and killed more than 3 million bees last September in San Diego.
Other severe threats to colonies include African and yellow-legged hornets – sometimes referred to as “murder hornets” — as well as several species of mites and numerous bacterium.
Although honey bees have seen a slight resurgence, their numbers are still down significantly. Native bees, responsible for most of the pollinating, have not seen this recovery.
Biologists have stepped in. They’re actively breeding bees exhibiting more resistance to the major factors responsible for the species’ decline.
Lanie Bilodeau, research leader at Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics, and Physiology Research lab in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, explains. “We are breeding honey bees that are more efficient at processing nutrients in their food and are more resistant to pests, pathogens and pesticides. … Developing healthier and more productive honey bee colonies will help ease the effects of disease and climate change, and improve the food supply at local, national and global scales.”
Restricting insecticides to protect populations
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Pictured: A bee lands on a dahlia blossom on Aug. 14, 2017, at a horticultural exhibition in Erfurt, central Germany. Jens Meyer, Associated Press
Most states restrict the use of certain chemicals alongside the Environmental Protection Agency. Such restrictions protect populations of primary pollinators. While bees handle approximately 75 percent of the fruits, nuts, and vegetables grown in the United States, they’re not alone. Butterflies, birds, bats, and even mosquitoes share pollinating duties.
Homeowners can only use certain chemicals considered “more safe” for novices to administer. Licensed commercial applicators have access to a greater number of products. But they, too, are regulated in the timing of applications on specific crops.
Commercial applicators practice a process known as Integrated Pest Management (IPM). This practice accounts for various factors, such as using the “scouting calendar” to assess the need to spray in relation to the potential economic damage of a pest.
When pest populations grow larger than is economically viable, spraying begins. An applicator can spray most fungicides on crops before or during spring leaf and flower budding. Insecticides should not be sprayed during the few days the flowers are open to preserve pollinators.
What crops do they pollinate?
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Pictured: Bumblebees pollinate a sunflower on a Gaddis Farms field July 13, 2018, in Bolton, Miss. Rogelio V. Solis, Associated Press
According to the USDA, pollinators add more than $18 billion in revenue to crop production every year. Bees are almost solely responsible for pollinating 130 crops, such as apples, peaches, blackberries, blueberries, and pears. They are also essential for nut pollination, like almonds.
Almonds are dependent on bees for pollination since they are not self-pollinating.
To assist farmers’ pollination requirements, beekeepers transport hives seasonally from one location to another. According to estimates, commercial beekeepers relocate 70% of the U.S. commercial bee population during almond flowering to pollinate California’s vital and lucrative crop.
Hives are transported to northern regions in March and April to pollinate apples, cherries, apricots, and peaches. The hives head south in the late winter to assist with peach, orange, and grapefruit pollination.
Some companies specialize in beehive relocation. Jean-Loui Navarro, president of Mega Bee Rescues, Miami, Fla., rescues and relocates beehives from residential and commercial properties to preserve these essential pollinators.
In recent years, there have also been several efforts to build mechanical drones to ease the strain on the bee population.
Hobby beekeeping
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Pictured: Beekeepers collect honey Aug. 26, 2009, in the Luxembourg Garden in Paris. Thibault Camus, Associated Press
Due to the decline of the bees, many homeowners have started beekeeping in their backyards as a hobby. Bee “kits” can be bought at retail stores, like Runnings in the spring. These include 10,000 – 12,000 worker bees and one young, viable queen. The hive box kits contain everything a beginner needs to start rearing bees. They are sold separately but are reasonably priced.
Before considering taking up beekeeping, check local ordinances. Many states and townships have laws on the books regarding hobby beekeeping, like these Utah laws, which are by county and location. There are many areas where apiculture, the rearing of bees, is permitted, but it is always better to check.
Before venturing into beekeeping, take a county or state agriculture cooperatives course. Bees are heavy eaters to keep up with their fast-paced lifestyle, so one must know how much honey is safe to harvest while maintaining the colony’s health.
