Millions of bees swarm town after truck crashes into ditch

Millions of bees escaped after a semitrailer turned over in Orange County, Texas, on Saturday (21 June).

According to local radio station KOGT, the vehicle tipped over after the driver failed to negotiate a turn on Colony Lane near FM 1130.

Photos published by Christie Ray, owner of Queen Bee Supply, showed beekeepers and emergency workers helping to secure the hives.

Chris Moore, a honey farm owner who stepped in to help the bees, told CBS News that he estimated only about a quarter of the 408 hives would survive, depending on how many queen bees survived the incident.

Orange County Emergency Services District 4 officials said an 18-wheeler carrying beehives turned over, and there was a “heavy presence of bees in the area,” advising residents in the 1130/Colony Dr. area to remain indoors.