WA beekeeper working to save millions of bees involved in crash in Whatcom County
WA beekeeper working to save millions of bees involved in crash in Whatcom County
Millions of bees escaped in Whatcom County after a semi-truck overturned on Friday. The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office initially reported 250 million bees had escaped, but yesterday they changed that estimate to 14 million bees.
WHATCOM COUNTY, Wash. - Millions of bees escaped in Whatcom County after a semi-truck overturned on Friday. The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office initially reported 250 million bees had escaped, but yesterday they changed that estimate to 14 million bees.
We talked with a beekeeper who was on scene and gave us a better look at what those beekeepers experienced on Friday.
Big picture view:
It’s the buzz heard across social media, bees as far as the eye can see. They were in the air and on the ground, surrounding those trying to save them by the millions.
Bees swarm at truck crash site in Whatcom County on May 30, 2025.
For beekeeper Derek Condit, that day quickly changed and became an experience that went bee-yond anything he could imagine.
He was able to capture video on Friday after a semi-truck carrying 70,000 pounds of honey bee hives overturned in Whatcom County. The crash sent an estimated 14 million bees swarming on Weidkamp Road near Lynden.
What they're saying:
"The sheriff's department was probably several hundred yards down the road because you couldn't approach it unless you were completely suited up," Condit said.
They tried to save the bees by putting the beehives back together – not an easy task, since hundreds of beehives slid off the truck, got mixed up, damaged and some even opened up!
Local perspective:
The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office and the beekeepers are now giving the bees a chance to re-hive and find their queen bee.
"Many of the queens did do just that. They swarmed in the nearby trees and local forest where the other bees will meet up with them and start a new colony, hopefully," said the beekeeper.
Derek told Fox 13, he learned these bees had just finished pollinating blueberry fields and were headed to South Dakota, adding another sting to a sticky situation.
"It's going to be nearly a complete loss for all of these hives because of the devastation," he said. "It's not often somebody gets to be in the presence of millions of bees while they're there, but they also had, believe, not, a calming feel to them, almost like they felt like we were there to help."
The Source: Information for this story came from original FOX 13 Seattle interviews.
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