A truck carrying 5 million bees overturned on a road near Toronto in Burlington, Ontario, on Wednesday morning, prompting police to warn drivers to keep their car windows closed.
A beekeeper looks for the queen bee-Image Source: The Guardian
The accident happened at around 6:15 a.m. on Guelph Line, near Dundas Street. Police said the truck was carrying crates of bees when it overturned, spilling the bees onto the road.
“It was quite the scene,” said Constable Ryan Anderson of the Halton Regional Police. “Crates were literally on the road and swarms of bees were flying around.”
The initial beekeeper that was on scene was apparently stung a few times,” Anderson said.
Police closed the road for several hours while the bees were being collected. By around 9:15 a.m., most of the bees had been safely collected and the road was reopened.
It is thought the bees may have been part of a pollination service, in which farmers hire beekeepers to help pollinate their crops.
A colony of honeybees in summer has about 50,000 to 80,000 bees, according to the Canadian Honey Council, a national association of beekeepers.
The accident is a reminder of the importance of bees to the environment. Bees are responsible for pollinating many of the crops that we eat, and their populations have been declining in recent years.
The Canadian government has launched a number of initiatives to help save the bees, including providing financial assistance to beekeepers and raising awareness about the importance of bees.
The accident in Burlington is the latest in a series of incidents involving bees in recent years. In 2021, a truck carrying bees overturned in California, spilling thousands of bees onto the road. And in 2020, a swarm of bees attacked a group of people in Florida, sending several people to the hospital.
The incidents highlight the need for caution when dealing with bees. If you see a swarm of bees, it is important to stay calm and avoid swatting at them. You should also call a professional beekeeper to remove the bees.
