About two million honey bees were released after a semitrailer carrying beehives overturned in Orange County, Texas.

The truck, loaded with tens of thousands of pounds of bees, tipped over when the driver failed to complete a turn in a rural neighborhood.

Emergency officials warned residents to stay indoors as crews worked amid heavy swarms to recover and relocate the hives.

Beekeepers and responders in protective gear transferred surviving hives onto trucks to be taken to a nearby honey farm, USA Today has reported.

No major human injuries were reported, and operations continued to safely clear the area.