Thousands of bees perished after being attracted to massive honey spill

Thousands of bees were crushed by traffic on Thursday morning after they swarmed to a honey spill in North Fort Myers, Florida. The spill at the Del Prado Boulevard intersection also created a sticky mess on the road and backed up traffic for about an hour. Neslan Torralvo of Torralvo's Honey & Pollination Service said his flatbed truck hit a bump as he drove east on Del Prado and a barrel in the back of his truck spilled over 100 gallons of honey, about 2,400 pounds, as he turned.



He was hauling the honey to a processor in Haines City. "My wife's gonna be sad, that was her money," he said, laughing. He said the load was worth around $5,000, and he was left with about 20 gallons. He goes to the processor near Lakeland about every two months. Torralvo said cars driving through the intersection after the spill created a bigger mess by spreading the honey.



North Fort Myers Fire Control District Battalion Chief Evan Totter said the department used water pressure to help wash away the honey. The department called a Florida Department of Transportation dump truck to pour sand on the honey. "Everyone fared pretty well," Totter said. "Except the traffic ... and the bees." The spill caused thousands of bees to flock to the intersection to get a sweet taste. Torralvo, also a beekeeper, said the bees were drawn by the smell.

According to this video it was a happy accident for the bees.

YouTube link.

Emergency workers and police from Cape Coral, Lee County Sheriff's Office, the Florida Department of Transportation and the Florida Highway Patrol swatted the swarming insects as they tried directing traffic and cleaning up the honey. With the bees landing on the honey residue, thousands were crushed by traffic or sprayed away by firefighters. Hours after the crash, police radio traffic reported businesses in the area calling for beekeepers as the insects continued being drawn to the remnants of the spill.