CHiPs (CHP) had its hands full... Arrested at least one Queen I see

[SUBMAN1]

:p

Truckload of bees topples, closes Hwy. 99 ramp at Florin Road

By Denny Walsh - dwalsh@sacbee.com

Last Updated 12:26 am PDT Monday, March 17, 2008
Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A12



Things were really humming Sunday at Florin Road and Highway 99.


A big rig loaded with 440 colonies – hives to the layman – populated by 8 million bees flipped over onto its side on the onramp to northbound 99, scattering countless numbers of the valuable insects.


Traffic on 99 wasn't affected, but the ramp was closed from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. as bees were gathered and loaded onto two other trucks. Emergency crews hauled away the wrecked truck, and a state Department of Transportation crew swept up the dead bees.



"Things were pretty messed up there for a while," said Jesse Young of Sacramento, a 66-year-old former beekeeper who was called to the scene by the California Highway Patrol to help corral the little varmints.


Getting information about the incident wasn't made any easier when CHP Officer Michael Bradley, reached by phone at the scene, had to sign off abruptly while he went at it with a bee in his car. Once he got that situation under control, Bradley was back on the line.


The colonies, packed in crates on pallets, had to be unloaded and reloaded by hand until a forklift finally arrived, Bradley said.


Bees are a prized commodity these days, given a nationwide shortage of the insect that's critical to pollination of a wide variety of farm crops. Hives have recently been struck with the mysterious colony collapse disorder, in which thousands of bees simply go missing.


Researchers suspect a variety of factors – including parasites, pesticides and viruses – for the losses.


Sunday's accident scattered bees that were bound for Yakima, Wash., after likely having worked in Central Valley almond orchards, Young said. He estimated the load to be worth "between $75,000 and $80,000."


Young said he helped unload and reload the bees for a while, along with "a couple of pretty strong boys who were beekeepers in Romania. I could have done more, I guess, but I'm getting too old for that kind of stuff."


Young said "there were a lot of dead bees on the ground," but the ones who didn't meet that fate will not stray far.


"They would only move away in a swarm, and they won't do that," Young added. "They will stay around and try to get into a colony. They go by smell, and they can find their own colony."


Young predicted it would be tough to make sure the colonies were in good shape.
"They'll have to go through them all and make sure there's only one queen in a colony," he said. "As it stands now, there are probably some without queens and some with more than one. Where there's more than one, all but one will be killed."


He said this work will probably be done in the nearest prune or apple orchard before the bees are put on a truck and back on the road again to Washington.

http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/790682.html

-S

[Sailor Steve]

Getting information about the incident wasn't made any easier when CHP Officer Michael Bradley, reached by phone at the scene, had to sign off abruptly while he went at it with a bee in his car. Once he got that situation under control, Bradley was back on the line.

Been there, done that. It's amazing how much panic one little beetard can cause in a grown man.:rotfl:

Great story, especially the info about the 'swarms'.

Thanks

[SUBMAN1]

Yeah - I started to crack up at that part too! We've all been there!

-S

[geetrue]

A bee landed on my sandwich at a picnic one time and I had my head turned looking at a girl walking by.

I turned my head back around and put the sandwich into my mouth without looking.

I ate that bee and he stung my lip in return ... I couldn't eat for days and then it still hurt for a long time.

At least it wasn't a killer bee ... lol

[SUBMAN1]

Originally Posted by geetrue

A bee landed on my sandwich at a picnic one time and I had my head turned looking at a girl walking by.

I turned my head back around and put the sandwich into my mouth without looking.

I ate that bee and he stung my lip in return ... I couldn't eat for days and then it still hurt for a long time.

At least it wasn't a killer bee ... lol

Remind me not to be driving on the same street as you when women happen to be nearby! :p

-S

[nikimcbee]

CHiPs! :hmm:
I guess Ponch and John are busy:rotfl:

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by nikimcbee

CHiPs! :hmm:
I guess Ponch and John are busy:rotfl:

Your going back to the late 70's there :hmm:

[NealT]

I prefered the guys on Car 54 Where Are You? myself...much more realistic...

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by NealT

I prefered the guys on Car 54 Where Are You? myself...much more realistic...

:rotfl:

There's a holdup in the Bronx, Brooklyn's broken out in fights;
There's a traffic jam in Harlem that's backed up to Jackson Heights;
There's a scout-troop short a child;
Kruschev's due at Idlewild;
Car fifty-four where are youuuuuuuuu?

Am I old or what?

[Jimbuna]

No.....you just have amazing recollection skills

[August]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

:rotfl:

There's a holdup in the Bronx, Brooklyn's broken out in fights;
There's a traffic jam in Harlem that's backed up to Jackson Heights;
There's a scout-troop short a child;
Kruschev's due at Idlewild;
Car fifty-four where are youuuuuuuuu?

Am I old or what?

Don't feel bad Steve, I remember it too.