Truck overturns, spills millions of bees

Wed., June 16, 2004

Associated Press

BOZEMAN — A tractor-trailer overturned on a curve on a highway, spilling its load of hundreds of bee hives and unleashing some 9 million angry honey bees.

The bees buzzed furiously as driver Lane Miller, arm scraped to the bone, struggled to flee his rig after it overturned Monday in Bear Trap Canyon west of Bozeman. The truck slid across the highway before coming to a stop between guardrails.

Miller, 41, walked away from the crash. He had surgery on his arm and suffered bruises and about 20 stings.

The state road was closed for 14 hours as crews and beekeepers cleaned up the 512 hives Miller was hauling from Idaho to North Dakota.

It wasn’t until 3 am. Tuesday that a tow truck got in to haul out the tractor-trailer, leaving behind pools of honey from the overturned hives. Transportation Department employees dropped sand to soak up the mess.

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Truck overturns, spills millions of bees

Jesse Tinsley

Jim Meehan

Molly Quinn

Rob Curley

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