Truck carrying 1 million bees crashes, shuts down U.S. highway

In this photo provided by the Tennessee Department of Transportation, beekeepers work to contain a swarm of bees that escaped from a crashed truck on Interstate 40 in Knoxville, Tenn., on Friday, April 17, 2026. (TDOT via AP)

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Travellers on an East Tennessee interstate were forced to brake for workers — and drones, perhaps even a queen — when a truck carrying about 1 million bees crashed Friday.

The swarm shut down an exit of Interstate 40 in Knoxville, said Mark Nagi, Tennessee Department of Transportation regional spokesperson. There were no injuries, he said.

“The ramp from I-40 East to Henley Street is back open but the truck is destroyed and the bees are… well… buzzing," Nagi posted, along with a photo of a person in beekeeper garb. “Unless you are dressed in this outfit please stay in your vehicles in this area.”

Later Friday, Nagi confirmed that all of the bees had been moved from the area and the truck was removed.

What could not be as easily quelled were the puns.

“So, this is the buzz around town?” U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett wrote on social media. ”This stuff just writes itself.”

The Virginia Department of Transportation commiserated on social media. Its northern division reminisced about a 2018 crash that similarly released a swarm of bees on Interstate 495, prompting the advice, “Please roll up your windows.”

The Associated Press