Canada races to capture five million bees from roadway spill

Halton Regional Police woke up to a call early morning on Wednesday, when a truck carrying several crates of beehives fell onto a roadway in Ontario, releasing five million bees.

The straps attached to the crates got loose and paved the way for a massive spill, releasing the staggering number of bees in Burlington, Halton Regional Police Constable Ryan Anderson said.

After officials shared a post online warning vehicles and residents to stay clear of the area, some beekeepers living nearby volunteered to help get the bees back to safety.

Within a few hours, the majority of the bees had safely been brought back to the crates and loaded back on the trailer, Anderson added.

Michael Barber said he received a call from officers around 7 am to help assist with the rescue. The bees were being transported after being used locally for pollination, the beekeeper noted.

Usually around this time of the year, the honeybees that helped with pollination are brought back to their winter home yard, said Barber, who owns Tri-City Bee Rescue in nearby Guelph.

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Police Note Collective Effort To Clean Up The Roadway

Following the hours-long ordeal, several crates that spilled onto the roadway were left on the side in hopes the remaining bees would return to their queen in the hive, Anderson mentioned.

While police say the initial beekeeper was stung quite a few times, there were no serious injuries following the swarm of honeybees in the area.

While police couldn’t offer additional detail on where the bees were being transported, Halton Regional Police Constable said it isn’t uncommon for bees to be moved to help with pollination.

He noted the collective effort from officers, residents and the local beekeepers to clean up the roadway and allow everyone to reach their respective destinations safely.

Barber also highlighted the collective support from the group of local beekeepers, although he noted the “sad” loss of scores of honeybees in the incident.

“It was sad to just be on the scene and see the carnage and just the amount of dead bees on the road,” the beekeeper at Tri-City Bee Rescue noted.

Offering details concerning the accident, about 20 of the probably around 40 beehives tipped off the trailer as the driver involved was trying to avoid hitting a deer, he added.