Can you imagine the complications involved in hauling a truck full of swarming bees?
Watch as a motorist in Florida captures the scene of a truck cruising down Interstate 4 near Orlando with thousands of bees escaping from the trailer. Other motorists on the road try to protect themselves by frantically rolling up their windows, but what happens when the truck has to make a stop?
As you can imagine, hauling bees can be a demanding and dangerous job – many of the insects are understandably angry and flustered when they’re uprooted. Bee haulers have to keep the insects cool with a water or subdued with smoke, and be extra careful they don’t die from overheating. They also have to wear a special bee protection suit at times and feed the bees sugar syrup, a substitute for nectar, before arriving to their destination!
As unnerving as it may be for anyone exposed to a swarm like this one, massive amounts of bees and those who transport them play a key role in pollinating farms responsible for our nation’s food production. If it weren’t for bee trucks, we wouldn’t have access to a whole lot of healthy food!
This particular bee truck was hauling a load of bees from Maine to Florida. It’s possible the bees escaped because they were not properly secured.
Source
UPI
Click Orlando
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Mid-Atlantic Apiculture Research