Five million bees fall off back of truck in Ontario

Aug. 30 (UPI) -- Police in Ontario called in several beekeepers for backup when approximately 5 million bees fell off the back of a truck.

The Halton Regional Police Service said officers were alerted about 6:15 a.m. that several boxes of bees had fallen from the back of a truck on Guelph Line in Burlington.

"We're not sure how or what exactly took place but at some point the boxes containing bees or beehives slid off the trailer and spilled all over the road," police spokesman Ryan Anderson told CBC News.

Several local beekeepers were summoned to the scene to help gather the estimated 5 million bees.

Beekeeper Luc Peters said he and his fellow beekeepers had to be extra careful during their efforts because the insects were agitated.

"It's important for people to understand that honey bees are fairly gentle and really don't bother people unless they are bothered. This is a rare situation where you have to keep your distance from them," he said.

Peters said locals can expect there to still be a large number of bees in the area for a few days.

"We're going to be leaving some crates behind. Some of the bees have escaped and we're hoping that they'll naturally return to these crates and we'll come back at a later date to pick them up once the bees have returned," he said.

Police said the driver of the truck was cited for driving with an insecure load.