Six unusual bee and hornet rescues, mishaps in Washington

This collection of stories shows unusual bee rescues and hive mishaps across Washington state.

One story explains how officials used tiny radio tags to track and remove invasive "murder hornets" from the state. Another story tells how millions of bees escaped after a truck carrying hives overturned in Whatcom County.

A remodeling project in Puyallup led workers to find a huge honey bee colony hidden in a house for decades. Beekeepers also had to contain a swarm after several hives fell off a vehicle on a highway near West Plains.

Read the stories below.

Beekeepers rescued bees from four hives that fell from a vehicle onto Highway 902 near West Plains, Washington, officials say.

NO. 1: BEEKEEPERS TRY TO CONTAIN SWARM AFTER HIVES FALL ON HIGHWAY, WASHINGTON OFFICIALS SAY

Hundreds of thousands of bees were released, beekeepers estimate. | Published April 28, 2024 | Read Full Story by Don Sweeney

The Washington State Department of Agriculture found nearly 1,500 Asian Giant Hornets — commonly known as “Murder Hornets” — when it eradicated the first nest of the invasive species this year Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021, in Whatcom County, Wash.

NO. 2: TINY RADIO TAGS ARE LATEST TOOL SCIENTISTS ARE USING TO FIGHT SPREAD OF ‘MURDER HORNETS’

Scientists in Washington state are at the forefront of research into how the technology can track ‘murder hornets,’ other invasive species. | Published June 8, 2024 | Read Full Story by Claudia Geib

Washington state Department of Agriculture’s hornet eradication team after removing hornets from the tree at the first hornet nest detection in the United States in October 2020. From left, Chris Looney, Cassie Cichorz, Sven Spichiger and Rian Wojahn.

NO. 3: INVASIVE ‘MURDER HORNETS’ FOUND IN WASHINGTON HAVE BEEN ERADICATED, OFFICIALS SAY

“It is a rare day when the humans actually get to win one against the insects,” said Sven Spichiger, Washington State Department of Agriculture pest program manager. | Published December 19, 2024 | Read Full Story by Jacquelyn Jimenez Romero

250 million pollinating bees escaped a commercial transport vehicle after it rolled over on May 30, 2025, in Lynden, Wash. By Whatcom County Sheriff's Office

NO. 4: MILLIONS OF BEES ESCAPE TRANSPORT VEHICLE IN WASHINGTON AFTER ROLLOVER

People were asked to avoid the area because of a swarming threat. | Published May 30, 2025 | Read Full Story by Rachel Showalter

NO. 5: WHY WERE MILLIONS OF BEES ON A TRUCK IN WA? WHAT TO KNOW AFTER CRASH, RELEASE

A truck carrying 70,000 pounds of honey bee hives tipped over in Whatcom County Friday morning. Why that’s not as strange as you might think. | Published May 30, 2025 | Read Full Story by Daniel Schrager

This photo shows a cluster of honeybees within a 1938 home during a remodel in Puyallup.

NO. 6: 300,000 HONEY BEES FOUND DURING REMODEL OF HISTORIC HOME IN DOWNTOWN PUYALLUP

The bees were in the walls of the home. Instead of exterminating them, the team started a rescue operation. | Published June 10, 2025 | Read Full Story by Sephora Charles

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.