Toronto drivers warned 'bee alert' as 5 million bees fall off truck and spill onto road

Beekeepers Terri Faloney, left, and Tyler Trute remove bees from a car after a truck carrying hives swerved and release bees in Burlington, Ontario. Credit: AP

Police in Toronto have warned drivers to keep their car windows closed after a truck swerved and spilled crates carrying five million bees onto a road.

Halton Regional Police said they received a call at around 6.15am on Wednesday, reporting the bee crates had come loose from a truck and the hives had spilled out in Burlington, Ontario, just west of Toronto.

It was “quite the scene,” Constable Ryan Anderson said.

“Crates were literally on the road and swarms of bees were flying around,” he said. “The initial beekeeper that was on scene was apparently stung a few times.”

Beekeeper Mike Osborne uses his hand to look for the queen bee after a truck carrying five million bees swerved. Credit: AP

The scene prompted police to warn drivers to close their windows as they passed by and for pedestrians to avoid the area.

About an hour after police put out a notice on social media, several beekeepers got in touch with officers offering to help.

Six or seven beekeepers eventually arrived at the scene, Mr Anderson said.

By around 9.15am, police said most of the five million bees had been safely collected and the crates were being hauled away.

Some crates had been left behind for the uncollected bees to return to them on their own.

A colony of honeybees in summer has around 50,000 to 80,000 bees, according to the Canadian Honey Council, a national association of beekeepers.

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