A Texas neighborhood was temporarily placed under lockdown after an overturned semi-truck released an estimated 24 million honeybees into the surrounding area.The incident occurred in Orange County, Texas, after an 18-wheeler transporting more than 400 beehives reportedly made a wrong turn and entered a residential area while on route to North Dakota. According to local reports, the driver attempted to navigate a sharp corner before losing control and overturning the truck in a ditch.The truck was carrying hundreds of commercial hives, each containing roughly 60,000 bees. Based on those figures, officials estimate that more than 24 million honeybees were aboard the vehicle when it crashed.Authorities urged residents near the crash site to remain indoors and keep doors and windows closed as emergency crews and volunteer beekeepers responded to the scene.Among them was Christie Ray, owner of Queen Bee Supply in Orange County, who helped coordinate volunteer efforts at the scene. Ray later shared images showing damaged hives, swarming bees, and beekeepers working to salvage surviving colonies.."Not something you ever want to see, but so nice to see beekeepers helping beekeepers," Ray wrote on social media. "From commercial outfits to backyard beekeepers, grateful for everyone that came out and helped."Chris Moore, owner of Moore Honey, also joined the recovery effort alongside family members and employees. Moore told reporters that the survival of the colonies would largely depend on whether the queen bees survived the crash.Moore estimated that only about 25 per cent of the hives may ultimately survive the incident, though a final assessment could take days as beekeepers continue to inspect the damaged colonies.The bees were reportedly being transported for commercial pollination work, a common practice in North American agriculture. Honeybee colonies are routinely moved across long distances to support crops including canola, sunflowers, almonds and other pollinator-dependent plants.While officials have not disclosed whether anyone was stung, no major injuries had been announced as recovery efforts continue.
