SAN ANTONIO – To say that a KSAT story last Friday about a spilled load of bees near downtown has created a buzz is an understatement.
Thousands of people have reached out to KSAT through social media since then, inquiring about those fierce flyers.
The bees were cargo on an 18-wheeler that collided with a car on Interstate 35 near Interstate 10, in an area known as the Finesilver Curve.
The San Antonio Police Department had to shut down the highway for hours afterward as the bees buzzed above the overturned big rig.
A San Antonio Fire Department spokesperson said a driver was injured in the crash.
He said that in order to reach the driver, firefighters had to calm the bees by spraying a small amount of foam onto the wreckage.
As of Tuesday morning, none of the agencies involved could provide details on the fate of the bees.
SAPD referred inquiries to the Texas Department of Transportation, which helped clear the highway.
In the meantime, KSAT called upon a local bee expert, Johnny D, the owner of Johnny D’s Bees.
His south Bexar County company specializes in beekeeping, including honey production.
From time to time, Johnny D said, he is also called to remove bees from areas where they may be congregating too closely to people.
Johnny D said that during the height of the highway closure on Friday, he happened to be driving in the area along with his children, who are also beekeepers.
“I was trying to focus on driving, and I was, like, ‘What is this?’ And yeah, easily millions of bees were on that truck,” he said.
Even with the quick glimpse, he said he recognized them as honeybees, likely of the Italian variety, and probably headed for California.
“Right now, the Sacramento Valley is bringing in bees from all over the country to pollinate crops, predominantly almonds,” Johnny D said.
He said I-35 is part of the route between California and Florida, the possible origin of the bees.
The crash, though, may have been an unplanned final stop for them.
Johnny D said crews addressing the crash scene may have had no choice but to put down the majority of the bees.
He said that had they all been able to fly out into the nearby residential area, it could have put the lives of some people, particularly those with bee allergies, at risk.
“There’s no way to round them up. You can’t ‘pied piper’ them into a box,” Johnny D said.
Still, he believes a portion of the bees probably did escape and may be spotted later in the surrounding neighborhoods.
However, as a rule, Johnny D said people should make any bees they encounter feel more at home because they play a vital role in everyday life.
“Honeybees are responsible for about one of every three bites of food we consume in the United States,” he said.
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