250 million bees have broken loose from their hives after a semi truck wrecked, spilling its load of bee hives. 

The accident happened at around 4 a.m. in a rural area near the Canadian border in Whatcom County, Washington on Friday, May 30th. 

According to KOMO News, the semi truck was loaded with 70,000 pounds of honey bee hives containing approximately 250 million bees. The details of what caused the wreck are not clear, but the truck ended up stopped across Weidkamp Road with its trailer partially twisted. 

Officials have shut down Weidkamp Road between Loomis Trail Road and West Badger, and will remain closed “between 24 and 48 hours” to allow the beekeepers to reset the hives and allow the bees time to return to their hives. 

“The plan is to allow the bees to re-hive and find their queen bee. That should occur within the next 24-48 hours. The goal is to save as many of the bees as possible,” WCSO Division of Emergency Management spokesperson Amy Cloud said in a news release.