Millions of honey bees escape after beehive delivery truck overturns

Millions of honey bees poured into a rural neighbourhood in southeast Texas after an 18-wheeler carrying hundreds of beehives overturned, sending local beekeepers racing to save the colonies.

The crash happened on June 21, in Orange County, near the Louisiana border. Orange County Emergency Services District 4 said the truck overturned near FM 1130 and Colony Drive. Roads were closed as crews and beekeepers worked through the swarm.

Footage shows hive boxes and small nucleus colonies, known as nucs, lined up along a fence, as thick clusters of bees covered the containers and hang from nearby trees.

Christie Ray, owner of Queen Bee Supply LLC, said the bees had shifted overnight after first gathering in a tree.

"They were all up in this tree yesterday. They actually broke the limb. That limb on the ground over there is they broke it. They were so heavy. So when we left last night, almost every one of these nucs were full of bees. We get here this morning and they're all up on the fence. So yeah. So now we have to basically catch them again," she said.

Ray added several swarms were still in nearby trees, with pets among the main concerns for residents.

"There's swarms all over the place. So yeah, we're definitely trying to catch them and do what we can with them and get them out of this neighborhood. It's mostly the puppy dogs that are getting nailed by them," Queen Bee Supply LLC owner explained.

Emergency officials initially urged residents to stay indoors because of the heavy bee presence, with sheriff's deputies and ESD4 units at the scene. A later update said the overturned trailer was about 75% unloaded, with crews moving the hives onto transport trucks for a local honey farm.

Local reports initially put the number of bees at up to two million. Other reports later said the truck was carrying about 400 hives, with some estimates putting the possible number far higher. Officials have not publicly confirmed a final count.

No serious injuries were reported at the time of publication. Local beekeepers warned the losses could still be heavy for the hive owner, with damaged colonies at risk if their queens were killed in the crash.