Millions Of Bees Bound For Alaska Die On Hot Atlanta Tarmac

ATLANTA, GA — Millions of honey bees died on a hot airport tarmac last week after a shipment bound for Alaska was diverted to Atlanta, according to multiple reports.

Two hundred crates of bees were supposed to make their way to Alaska aboard Delta Air Lines flights from Sacramento to Seattle and then on to Anchorage, The New York Times reported.

However, things went awry when the airline told Sarah McElrea, who was importing the bees for nearly 300 beekeepers in Alaska, the shipment wouldn't fit aboard the Seattle-bound flight.

The bees were rerouted to Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport instead, the Times reported.

Beekeepers in the United States lost an estimated 45.5 percent of their managed honeybee colonies in 2020, according to a survey conducted by the nonprofit Bee Informed Partnership.

Commercial honey bee operations are essential to agricultural production in the United States, pollinating $15 billion worth of food crops each year, according to the survey. Like the millions headed to Alaska, honey bee colonies are moved around the country to pollinate important agricultural crops such as almonds, blueberries, and apples.

Shipping bees is a delicate process, according to Bear Country Bees. Perhaps most importantly, bees must be kept in a cool, climate-controlled environment with plenty of ventilation.

After two days in Atlanta, the shipment of 5 million bees was removed from the cooler and put on the tarmac because some were escaping from the crates, Atlanta Public Radio reported. It was 80 degrees in Atlanta that day — too hot for the bees to be outside.

McElrea turned to Atlanta beekeeper Edward Morgan for help. Morgan went to the airport only to discover most of the bees were already dead, APR reported. Morgan then worked with the Georgia Beekeepers Association to rescue the survivors.

"It’s devastating to see that many dead," Julia Mahood, a Georgia master beekeeper, told WABE. "Just clumps of dead bees that had no chance because they were left outside with no food and basically got lost in Delta’s machinery."

Catherine Salm with Delta Airline’s corporate communications said in an email to APR the airline is aware of the incident and is working to make sure something similar does not happen again.

"We have been in contact with the customer directly to apologize for the unfortunate situation," she said.