Mar 19
2008
8 Million Bees on the Loose
Some images just stick with you…like the idea of eight million bees loose on the freeway.
This story came out of California a couple of days ago. It seems that a truck hauling 440 colonies of bees overturned–setting loose EIGHT MILLION BEES! That’s an image I can’t get out of my mind. Take a look at the photo at the bottom of this news story.
It seems that the big rig that was hauling the bees home overturned, setting loose all the flying critters. It shut down traffic for hours while several other beekeepers–WHO HAPPENED TO BE PASSING BY THE ACCIDENT–wrangled them back into the colonies to be hauled away.
The good news is that bees are very orderly creatures. Once the hives were set up the buzzing bees rendez-voused with their brethren so they could be transported to their next job. Some bees were lost. And it will take a while to sort out the whole one-queen-per-hive issue. But for the most part, the cool-headed beekeepers efficiently dealt with eight million potential problems fairly handily.
First, I didn’t know that there were itinerant bees. I thought that bees were pretty much home-based and took care of their own fields and crops. But these bees were apparently being trucked back to Washington state after a gig in the San Joaquin Valley.
Second, who knew that there were so many bees a coming and going that there would be more than one big bunch of beekeepers on a single stretch of California highway? What are the chances? Well, apparently pretty good in California. But then, California is a special place, no?
My head is still buzzing with the thought of eight million bees on the loose.
March 19th, 2008 at 5:42 pm
I missed this story. That’s a lot of bees. I knew there were beekeepers who rented out their colonies to farmers…there was a recent documentary/news story about the business and how bees are dying off. Very alarming.
I have been meaning to stop by before …love your blog name and your archived garden photos are terrific.
Gail
clay and limestone
March 19th, 2008 at 6:25 pm
I saw it on local and national news! I, too, thought about it after I went to bed the other night. It’s hard to imagine. Thanks to the beekeepers.
March 19th, 2008 at 8:00 pm
Robin, I read this story on CNN and was fascinated. I knew that bees are transported to pollinate different crops but didn’t think that they could round them back up like that. It’s sad about the accident but cool that people were able to save the bees.
March 19th, 2008 at 8:46 pm
Oh yes, bee keepers truck their colonies all over the U.S. 24/7/365. They make hundreds of thousands of dollars per customer doing this.
March 20th, 2008 at 9:42 am
That’s weird about the beekeepers being there but I have heard of hives being moved in order to create different types of honey.
N
http://badhuman.wordpress.com
March 20th, 2008 at 9:51 am
There is a shortage of bees in the country and it’s alarming scientists. Something is killing them off. I’m assuming that growers are having itinerant bees to combat the problem.
Great story!
March 20th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
Yes, the beekeepers here in NS truck their hives around the county; to apple orchards first, then lowbush blueberry fields, and to other places away from a lot of agriculture where there would be spraying. One producer puts a huge number of boxes back on some woods roads where I ride, and puts electric fencing around them to deter raccoons and (I assume) bears). The honeybees don’t bother my horse and I as we go by, though. And many of them come to our garden to visit.
Much as I love bees of all sorts, that photo did give me a bit of the willies. That’s a few too many bees all in one spot.
March 21st, 2008 at 6:11 am
My office mate was telling me about this crash too. I also saw the segment on TV about bees getting trucked to agricultural areas to help pollinate the crops. It’s sad to think about how many bees died in this crash when Colony Collapse Disorder is already decimating the honeybee population.
February 22nd, 2009 at 4:16 am
I have to speculate that bee’s probably arnt supposed to be trucked around from heck to breakfast 24/7/365. Maybe thats part of why they’re getting deseases and colony collapes? Most bee’s usually enjoy some sort of off season with the changing seasons…
Kind of awesome there’s so many random bee keepers driving past. Always wanted to try, but it seems rather complicated/expensive.
April 29th, 2009 at 1:47 pm
Hi Folks. FYI the beehives trucking down the highways here are a normal sight. Honey bees aren’t aggressive so it has never been a problem.
Agriculture continues to be a huge part of the economy in California, and our crops are shipped all over the USA and the world.
So the presence of the bees is essential to food production for all of us. In fact California is home to a huge variety of crops from EVERY kind of vegetable produce to tree and vine fruits, olives, almonds, walnuts, pistachios, wheat, cotton, beef,lamb, dairy, seeds etc.
Pretty much all the crops depend on the bees but the farmers aren’t generally bee keepers so they hire a bee contractor.
Hope that clears up the confusion.
p.s. I was once rescued by bee keepers
when my heap broke down late at night way out in the back-of-beyond. They put me up for the night, made me breakfast (the wife did)fixed my truck, and gave me 2 pounds of honey before they sent me on my way.
April 21st, 2010 at 5:46 am
Whilst the thought of 8 million bees on the loose was somewhat frightening, the accompanying photograph was lovely. Thankyou
Mary Bailey
Wickford, Essex, U.K.
English Garden