A swarm of 10 million bees escaped onto a highway after semi-truck crash in Utah, say reports

• At least 10 million bees escaped after a semi-truck crashed on a highway in Utah.
• The truck was carrying 416 boxes each containing between 50,000 and 100,000 bees, according to CNN.

At least 10 million bees escaped onto a Utah highway after a semi-truck crashed, according to reports.

The truck was driven by a commercial beekeeper, traveling from California to North Dakota, ABC News reported.

The vehicle tipped over on Interstate 80 on Monday morning, said Cameron Roden, a public information officer for the Utah Highway Patrol, per CNN.

Roden said the crash happened because the driver drove too fast on a curve, CNN reported.

The driver of the truck was taken to hospital with numerous bee stings and minor injuries from the crash, according to CNN. Troopers on the scene also received bee stings, the media outlet said.

According to Julie Arthur, the presidency of the Wasatch Beekeepers Association, "at least 10 million bees were in the air," she told CNN.

She said that the semi-truck was carrying 416 boxes of bees each containing between 50,000 and 100,000 honeybees. The honeybees, Arthur said, would be used to pollinate crops across the US.

CNN reported that Arthur's team received a call on Tuesday, a day after the crash, that they could mount a rescue mission for the bees. The scene was a "gigantic mess," she told CNN. She described how honey and honeycomb wax had melted in the sun and boxes were scattered all over.

Arthur recalled seeing a wall of bees "8 feet long, 4 feet deep, and 5 feet high," CNN reported. Her team of five volunteers was able to rescue about 10% of the bees, according to the media outlet.

The bees will no longer be used to pollinate crops, CNN said, and instead will be used by Wasatch Beekeepers' Association as teaching aids for aspiring beekeepers.