You think a bee sting hurts? Sacramento authorities have had to deal with millions of them after a truck full of honey bees flipped on a Californian highway and let loose the swarm of insects. Everyone from local authorities, to firefighters and drivers got a nasty taste of what almost 12-16 million free bees can do.

According to the California Highway Patrol, people who were at the time in the Highway 99 area got stung multiple times. Beekeepers in the area helped authorities to contain and control some of the bees, but not before they created a bit of panic among the unfortunates that witnessed or drove by the accident.

Authorities immediately rushed local businesses to close their doors and windows, while drivers were asked not to leave their windows down and turn off air conditioning systems to avoid bees from entering the cars.

This incident came in high contrast with the situation beekeepers have had to deal with in the past years, after a mysterious phenomenon drove adult honeybees to abandon their hives. It looks like the situation turned from no bees to too many of them.

Bee situation was very talked about, as they represent a crucial element in agriculture (honeybees pollinate approximately 130 crops in the United States), and farmers are dependant on them.

At the same time, another strange but explainable phenomenon appeared in California: bees started to disappear again, but this time due to bee theft, which became a productive business for some.