A truck carrying a cargo of 14million BEES flipped on a busy motorway, causing mass stingings and traffic chaos.
Firefighters were forced to spray a mixture of foam and water on the bees to calm them down or kill them after temperatures rose and agitated them.
The vehicle rolled in the early hours of the morning on a road near the city of Lynwood in Washington. The driver was not injured.
Beekeepers were on the scene within an hour trying to recapture the insects, worth £62,000.
Television reporters who descended on the scene were forced to swatted at the swarms surrounding and piles of bee carcasses covered the road.
Drivers were advised to keep their windows rolled up as they drove past.
