Bees still swarming on highway 191 near West Yellowstone

In the immediate aftermath, a video taken by a passerby shows people in bee protection suits working to clean up the scene, along with several tow trucks. Broken bee boxes were scattered on the ground, and bees were buzzing through the air. 

The scene calmed down by Tuesday, but a swarm could still be seen in trees near the road. 

Michelle Flenniken, co-director of MSU's Pollinator Health Center, explained that these bees are cavity dwellers, which means they are likely searching for a new place to build a hive. 

“They have a swarm where it's like on a branch or something, and that's a staging area. Then they send out scout bees to go look for the new home, and then they convince each other and direct each other to the new home,” Flenniken said. 

Flenniken said swarming is a good sign because it meant the colony survived the crash. She said the bees will still need a queen to make it long term. 

“The colony senses their queen by pheromones or smell. And so, they would cluster around that queen if she's out there,” Flenniken said. “If she's not, there's going to be a lot of straggler homeless bees, and they can'testablish a new colony without a queen. So, unfortunately for them, they will die.” 

Flenniken said Montana is a major beekeeping state, and beekeepers often send colonies to other places for pollination work. She estimated the truck carried around 200 colonies, which could mean a major loss for the beekeeper and for the pollination services those bees provide. 

Because the bees do not have a formal hive to defend yet, she said the bees likely pose a minimal risk to the public. Regardless, signs and cones remained alongside the road, asking drivers to slow to 35 miles per hour, keep driving and do not stop.