WHATCOM COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – The historic eruption of Mount Saint Helens in 1980 isn’t the only notable May anniversary. This May marks the first anniversary of an unprecedent “bee spill” in Whatcom County. As with all events worth commemorating, this one helped change things for the better.

What happened

One year ago – on Friday, May 30, 2025 – a commercial truck hauling millions of pollinator bees (14 million, to be precise) tipped over on Weidkamp Road near Lynden.

First responders discovered it wasn’t a typical roll-over; the cargo would require special handling. So, they called in the Sheriff’s Office Division of Emergency Management (DEM).

Lessons learned

DEM quickly discovered that its expertise in helping the community prepare for, mitigate, respond to, and recover from disasters and emergencies would be tested. There was no template for how to protect the community from bees on the loose or what response instructions should be. Fortunately, response heroes quickly emerged to partner with DEM: volunteer and professional beekeepers brought their protective equipment – and expertise.

No one knows better than beekeepers what’s needed. For instance? Bees need their Queen, that will get them to the hive. And bees have some low-activity cycles; that’s when it’s easiest to get them contained.

Person in a white hazmat suit waves on a closed road with traffic cones and a ROAD CLOSED sign.
Person in a white hazmat suit waves on a closed road with traffic cones and a ROAD CLOSED sign. An estimated 14 million bees were on the truck that rolled over in unincorporated Whatcom County in May 2025. Photo courtesy Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office Division of Emergency Management

What ‘Changed for the better’

Thanks to the bee-keepers –and their willingness to share their time, energy and knowledge (as well as protective equipment) – hives were restored and fewer bee lives were lost in the response phase.

What about mitigation, preparedness and recovery, the other elements of emergency management? Good news!

This new partnership – DEM and bee-keepers – led to work on a new state Department of Agriculture plan for similar events. The “Emergency Response to Accidents Involving Bees” – or Plan Bee as some call it – addresses this vital agricultural resource. The bee response plan addresses everything from human safety and bee protection to how to right tipped trucks, recover hives and clean up.

While less memorable than a volcanic eruption, last May’s bee spill ultimately gives us more reason to bee-come prepared for anything.

Amy Cloud is the Public Information Officer (PIO) for the Sheriff’s Office Division of Emergency Management.  She was born and raised locally, leaving for Whitman College and work in Seattle, Knoxville and Washington, D.C. She returned to work as Supervising News Producer and reporter for KVOS-TV’s NewsView before switching to communications for WWU, PeaceHealth and the City of Bellingham. She also co-chairs the Community PIO Group and is a member of the Governor’s Committee on Disability Issues.