Truck Transporting Bees Overturns on Oregon Highway

There was a whole lot of buzz, but no one was stung by the honeybees.

Photo: Oregon State Police

(BEND) - A truck transporting honeybees overturned Sunday afternoon at the junction of Highway 97 and Highway 197 spilling the load onto the highway. There was a report of a minor injury to a passenger but no reports of anyone being stung by the bees.

The 1998 Freightliner truck transporting a large load of bees overturned after losing control at the junction of Highway 97 and Highway 197. The bees spilled onto Highway 197 blocking the highway. The beehives were eventually moved onto the shoulder for later reloading onto another vehicle.

Honeybees are transported from one crop to another throughout the year by commercial beekeepers to provide pollination and increase production. This time of year, bees are typically put in "winter yards" to protect them until Spring. There is no information on where this truck was headed.

The trucks driver, 22-year-old Cuteberto Diaz, from Aloha, was not injured. OSP cited him for Failure to Maintain a Lane of Travel. Passenger, 27-year-old Hermelinda Cortes, from Aloha, received minor injuries and was transported to Mt. Hospital in Madras. ODOT and local emergency responders assisted OSP at the crash.