Swarm Of Bee Jokes Follows I-5 Crash Near Seattle

Were you bee-deviled by a bad commute Friday morning?

Nearly as soon as clouds of bees escaped after a flatbed truck carrying hundreds of hives overturned on I-5 in Snohomish County, the Internet was buzzing with puns, bad jokes and wry asides.

The accident happened about 3:30 a.m. at the interchange with I-405 in Lynnwood. The insects’ owner, Belleville Honey of Burlington Washington, sent beekeepers to recover as many as possible of the 13.7 million bees from among the crushed boxes, The Associated Press reported.

But as the sun rose, the surviving bees became more active, and state troopers reported that firefighters trying to contain them by spraying foam on the hives had been stung, the AP said. Motorists were urged to keep their windows up.

Two lanes of northbound I-5 remained blocked into early afternoon, KIRO reported.

While it was no laughing matter for the company, beekeepers, firefighters or motorists, the Internet couldn't resist. Below, we’ve collected some of the jokes that ensued, and you can find more on social media at #Beenado and #Beesafe.

You can also see a gallery of images of the spill at seattlepi.com.