Bee Accident Update: Motorists Warned to Keep Windows Closed, Some Bees Saved

Beekeepers were able to save 275 of the 460 hives from the tractor trailer that crashed on an I-95 on-ramp earlier this week.

https://twitter.com/mountsutro/status/469296515757113344

The Daily News’ Jason Nark has a fantastic article in today’s paper updating the fate of the Delaware bee swarm. Nark writes the accident “offered a rare glimpse into an industry in which billions of domesticated honeybees buzz up and down American highways every year, experts say.” It’s as if this honeybee accident is a conspiracy that goes straight to the top!

The honey bees are responsible for pollenating crops in states across the country, and wind from the road keeps the bees in the hives on the truck. The driver (and the bees) sleep at night. This is actually more terrifying than I expected, but there is good reason for it. About one-third of the world’s crops wouldn’t exist without honeybees,” Bill Leitzinger, vice president of the Delaware Beekeepers Association, tells the DN. Bees are complicated! Honey should be a lot more expensive.

Motorists are still being warned to keep their windows closed due to bee swarms in Delaware. Beekeepers — who the state of Delaware called for when it activated its “Honey Bee Swarm Removal Plan” earlier this week — were able to save 275 hives, though not all may be salvageable. There were 460 in all.

[Daily News]