Driver fined after truck tipped, spilled millions of bees

LYNNWOOD, Wash. (AP) – The driver of a semitrailer carrying more than 13 million honeybees that overturned and scattered hives on a Washington highway last month has been fined $550.

The wreck backed up traffic for miles on Interstate 5 north of Seattle. Beekeepers scrambled to save as many bees as they could, but eventually firefighters sprayed foam on the hives, killing the insects used for pollinating crops as a safety measure.

The Daily Herald newspaper in Everett reports that the Washington State Patrol cited the truck driver with second-degree negligent driving. Trooper Mark Francis says the 36-year-old Idaho man was driving too fast for conditions and the weight of the truck.

The state Department of Transportation is billing his insurer $6,400 for the costs of traffic control and crews needed to clear the highway.