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1 Million Bees Make for Bumper-to-Buzzer Traffic on a Tennessee Highway Ramp
Crews in beekeeping suits corralled the swarm and reopened the ramp after the truck overturned, with no injuries reported, officials said.
- On Friday, April 17, 2026, a truck carrying 1 million bees crashed near the Henley Street exit on I-40 in Knoxville, shutting down the ramp temporarily. The Tennessee Department of Transportation reported no injuries.
- The crash occurred around 11 a.m. local time, causing bees to escape and swarm the area. TDOT regional spokesperson Mark Nagi coordinated unloading the truck to clear the roadway safely.
- Crews donned protective beekeeping suits to corral the insects. Nagi wrote, "Unless you are dressed in this outfit please stay in your vehicles in this area," sharing a photo of a worker in specialized gear.
- By Friday afternoon, workers successfully removed the truck and bees from the scene. The ramp from I-40 East to Henley Street has since reopened to traffic.
- U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett remarked on social media that the situation "just writes itself." The Virginia Department of Transportation recalled a similar 2018 bee swarm on Interstate 495.
84 Articles
84 Articles
1 million bees swarm highway after crash shuts down interstate ramp for hours
Around 11 a.m. Friday, a pickup truck transporting the bees crashed on Interstate 40 in Knoxville, Tennessee, heading toward the Henley Street exit and unleashing the bees, according to the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT).
1M Bees Swarm Drivers After Tennessee Crash
Travelers 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, a Tennessee Department of Transportation spokesperson. There were...
A million bees make for bumper-to-buzzer traffic on a Tennessee highway ramp
About 1 million bees temporarily took over an interstate exit ramp in East Tennessee after a beekeepers’ truck crashed and set them loose. On social media, Tennessee Department of Transportation regional spokesperson Mark Nagi said the swarm Friday had shut…
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