There was a buzz in the air Friday in northwestern Washington state as about 250 million honeybees escaped a commercial truck that overturned.

In the US state of Washington, a truck transporting millions of honey bees overturned near the Canadian border, prompting authorities to warn the public and seal off the crash site. Emergency teams and beekeepers are working to recover the bees and minimise risk.

A truck was hauling 70,000 pounds of beehives when it overturned in a rural county in northern Washington state, letting loose about 14 million bees.