Truck full of bee hives rolls off Central Ore. highway

A flatbed truck loaded with occupied beehives ran off a Central Oregon highway, scattering bee colonies along the roadway’s shoulder.

Oregon State Police said the accident occurred at 8:35 p.m. Saturday on U.S. 97 about 16 miles north of Madras, Ore.

The trucker, identified as Martin R. Garcia, 52, of California, told troopers he was headed northbound driving about 50 mph when he swerved to miss an animal in the road.

He lost control and the tractor and its trailer rolled onto its right side, blocking the northbound lane and the shoulder.

The hives full of bees spilled onto the shoulder of the road.

There was no reports of injuries — even bee stings — but troopers and the tow company decided to leave the spilled bees and hives alone overnight until they could be collected by an expert on Sunday.

Garcia was cited for failure to maintain a lane of travel.

Bees are commonly transported this time of year to fruit orchards in Central Washington and Oregon’s Hood River Valley.