A semi-truck carrying $1 to $2 million worth of bees crashed in a city north of Sacramento Thursday night.
The truck, which was hauling hundreds of hives in the Auburn area, swerved off the 80 Freeway to avoid causing a chain reaction crash after traffic came to a sudden stop, according to Auburn police. He then drove off a ramp and crashed on the roadway, spilling several million bees, KTLA’s sister station KTXL reported.
The bees were traveling from Montana and were headed to the Central Valley to pollinate almond trees for the spring, according to beekeeper Nathan Smith. He said the only humane way to contain the bees was to kill them by spraying soapy water since the crash happened late at night and forecast predicted future rain.
The driver of the truck was transported to an area hospital with minor injuries.
Giovanni Moujaes contributed to this story.