Beekeepers try to contain swarm after hives fall on highway, Washington officials say

Four hives that apparently fell from a passing vehicle on a Washington highway unleashed a swarm of angry bees, state officials reported.

The lost hives were found on Highway 902 near Interstate 90 on Wednesday, April 24, the Washington Department of Transportation said in a post to X, formerly known as Twitter.

The West Plains Beekeepers Association, based out of Medical Lake, responded and helped rescue some of the bees, the group said on Facebook.

“The hives were in bad shape, and there were many dead bees,” the association said. “We salvaged what we could and took them to the club apiary.“

Only 20,000 to 30,000 of the estimated 200,000 bees from the hives were saved, KREM reported.

“It was a mess,” association co-president Ellen Miller told the station. “The frames were crushed. The honey was squished around.”

Medical Lake is about a 15-mile drive southwest of Spokane.