US firefighters rescue 25 million bees in broken-down truck amid high heat

Firefighters in the United States went to the rescue of 25 million bees that were being transported in a truck after the vehicle broke down in Utah and the insects were in danger from the hot weather.

They used a hose to mist the truck’s trailer, which carried 480 hives containing up to 60,000 honey bees each, to keep the insects “cool, calm, and safe” in the heat.

“With the unseasonable hot temperatures... the bees were at risk of dying if the truck stayed parked in the sun for too long, as there wouldn’t be a cool breeze from the truck moving along the highway,” said the Unified Fire Authority (UFA), Utah’s largest fire agency, on its social media pages.

The agency said firefighters from Millcreek Fire Department responded to an emergency call on May 12 after the truck broke down at Parleys Canyon.

None of the firefighters were stung by the bees, it added.

Officials called the rescue “one of the coolest reminders” that first responders do not just save people.

“Sometimes they save 25 million bees, too,” UFA added.

This was not the first time Utah officials had received a call about millions of bees.

A truck carrying over 200 hives rolled over on Interstate 80 in June 2022, scattering the hives across the highway, which had to be temporarily closed, according to People magazine.

A Utah Highway Patrol official had estimated the clean-up took three to four hours.