More than 13 million honeybees spill on I-5 in Lynnwood

LYNNWOOD — An overturned semitruck on I-5 Friday morning released more than 13 million honeybees, which stung firefighters, state troopers and others trying to clean up the mess.

Bees coated patrol cars, ambulances and other vehicles that happened by. Traffic backed up for miles.

Washington State Patrol Sgt. Keith Leary was stung three times and had one bee fly into his mouth.

“It looked like a gold, grayish-brown fuzzy cloud,” Leary said of the swarming bees. “When you are looking into the sun, it is like, ‘Wow, that is something you would see on Animal Planet TV,’ only it would be someone with a good lens photographing it from far away.”

An Idaho truck driver was hauling the 448 hives from Sunnyside in Eastern Washington to a blueberry farm in Lynden when he merged from I-405 onto northbound I-5 around 3:30 a.m. That’s when the truck tipped onto its side and dumped its load in the HOV lane and median.

The driver, 36, wasn’t hurt.

The bees weren’t so fortunate.

“They are pretty much a total loss,” Leary said.

Troopers, firefighters and the Washington Department of Transportation dealt with the traffic and safety issues. They consulted with Belleville Honey and Beekeeping Supply of Burlington, which owns the bees, Leary said.

The bees were fairly subdued until the sun rose and the weather warmed, Leary said.

The decision was made to spray foam on the boxes that housed the hives. Meanwhile, people worked to clear the highway of the swarms.

“I think pretty much everybody has been stung,” Snohomish County Fire District 1 spokeswoman Leslie Hynes said. Protective gear couldn’t totally cover the firefighters.

It made for an unusual sight for people passing by.

“It created an eye-candy slowdown,” Leary said. Many took video and photographs, creating a potentially hazardous situation.

Leary grew concerned because people in the cars would roll down their windows to photograph. That put them at risk of inviting large numbers of bees inside.

Eventually, a front-loader was brought in to scoop up the wreckage. As many as six dump truck loads were hauled away. Thousands of bees took refuge in the shrubs alongside the freeway.

Troopers are investigating the cause of the crash.

The cleanup took several hours.

Lynnwood firefighters got their share of stings as well.

“We don’t see this every day in Lynnwood,” city spokeswoman Julie Moore said.

Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446, stevick@heraldnet.com

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Trader Joe’s customers walk in and out of the store on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Trader Joe’s opens this week at Everett Mall

It’s a short move from a longtime location, essentially across the street, where parking was often an adventure.

Ian Bramel-Allen enters a guilty plea to second-degree murder during a plea and sentencing hearing on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Deep remorse’: Man gets 17 years for friend’s fatal stabbing in Edmonds

Ian Bramel-Allen, 44, pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder for killing Bret Northcutt last year at a WinCo.

Firefighters respond to a small RV and a motorhome fire on Tuesday afternoon in Marysville. (Provided by Snohomish County Fire Distrct 22)
1 injured after RV fire, explosion near Marysville

The cause of the fire in the 11600 block of 81st Avenue NE had not been determined, fire officials said.

Ashton Dedmon appears in court during his sentencing hearing on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett Navy sailor sentenced to 90 days for fatal hit and run

Ashton Dedmon crashed into Joshua Kollman and drove away. Dedmon, a petty officer on the USS Kidd, reported he had a panic attack.

A kindergarten student works on a computer at Emerson Elementary School on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘¡Una erupción!’: Dual language programs expanding to 10 local schools

A new bill aims to support 10 new programs each year statewide. In Snohomish County, most follow a 90-10 model of Spanish and English.

Logo for news use featuring the Tulalip Indian Reservation in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Woman drives off cliff, dies on Tulalip Reservation

The woman fell 70 to 80 feet after driving off Priest Point Drive NW on Sunday afternoon.

Everett
Boy, 4, survives fall from Everett fourth-story apartment window

The child was being treated at Seattle Children’s. The city has a limited supply of window stops for low-income residents.

People head out to the water at low tide during an unseasonably warm day on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Lighthouse Park in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett shatters record high temperature by 11 degrees

On Saturday, it hit 73 degrees, breaking the previous record of 62 set in 2007.

Snohomish County Fire District #4 and Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue respond to a motor vehicle collision for a car and pole. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, near Triangle Bait & Tackle in Snohomish. (Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office)
Police: Troopers tried to stop driver before deadly crash in Snohomish

The man, 31, was driving at “a high rate of speed” when he crashed into a traffic light pole and died, investigators said.

Alan Dean, who is accused of the 1993 strangulation murder of 15-year-old Bothell girl Melissa Lee, appears in court during opening statements of his trial on Monday, March 18, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
31 years later, trial opens in Bothell teen’s brutal killing

In April 1993, Melissa Lee’s body was found below Edgewater Creek Bridge. It would take 27 years to arrest Alan Dean in her death.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Snohomish in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Man dies after crashing into pole in Snohomish

Just before 1 a.m., the driver crashed into a traffic light pole at the intersection of 2nd Street and Maple Avenue.

Bodies of two men recovered after falling into Eagle Falls near Index

Two men fell into the falls and did not resurface Saturday, authorities said. After a recovery effort, two bodies were found.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.