Around 250 million honey bees escaped after a truck carrying approximately 70,000 pounds of active hives overturned in Washington state on Friday, near the Canadian border. The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office immediately issued a warning urging the public to avoid the area due to the risk of bee swarms.

Emergency responders were joined by over two dozen experienced beekeepers who worked through the day to safely recover the bees. Their goal was to re-set the box hives—special containers used to house bees—and encourage the insects to return and locate their queen. Authorities estimated the re-hiving process would take between 24 and 48 hours.

“The goal is to save as many bees as possible,” the sheriff’s office stated. Video footage from the scene showed clouds of bees swarming the overturned truck. Officials kept the crash site closed until the rescue efforts were complete.

Many beekeepers don’t just produce honey; they also rent hives to farmers for crop pollination, making this incident significant for local agriculture. By Friday evening, officials said most of the bees were returning to their hives thanks to the efforts of the local beekeeping community.