Stacked in 200 crates intended for 300 beekeepers in Alaska, 5 million bees were abandoned in a burning container on the tarmac of an Atlanta airport. A series of logistical problems would be involved.
These insects were to favor the pollination of part of Alaska, reports the New York Times. They were to be delivered by plane from Sacramento to Seattle and then to Anchorage. However, the company Delta Air, in charge of transport, finally declared that the load did not fit in the device and that the packages had to pass through Atlanta, 1,500 km away.
Boxes placed upside down
At Atlanta airport, the situation continued to deteriorate. The match could not be made and the bees had to wait another day. First placed in a cool box, the latter were finally placed in a container outside, under 30°C.
Worried, the owner of the insects contacted a local association to make sure the bees were fine. But most of them were already starving and hot when officials intervened. Placed upside down, the crates did not allow insects access to their food. The few survivors were entrusted to associations.