A driver near Missoula created some buzz after being pulled over on Interstate 90 last week with thousands of bees in a sedan.

The Montana Highway Patrol received a call about noon May 22 from a motorist who saw another car that seemed to be filled with bees. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the vehicle was driving all over the road.

When troopers stopped the vehicle, they removed the driver from the red sedan. The driver told troopers that the “Russian honeybees” were “harmless,” according to the highway patrol report from the stop. There were five hives and thousands of bees inside the car.

Troopers contacted the state apiarist — Montana’s beekeeper-in-chief — who told them that having five hives riding shotgun was a “very unsafe” way to transport bees. However, the driver needed no permits to transport the bees through the state.

Troopers cited the driver for careless driving.

MORE>>>The Missoulian

Kyle Ploehn is an artist, illustrator and writer living in Billings Montana. He likes to spend the few hours he isn't painting hiking the mountains of Montana.

The pixilation series is based on the idea of everything being digital. Anymore it's easier to spend your time finding cool things on the internet rather than go out into the real world to make your own memories. These pieces (The pixilation series) help me to balance the ease of using the internet and actually venturing out into the world. Being Montana born and bred, I've been out in nature all my life, however I fell into the trap of ease and negligence that the internet brings and still, to this day, struggle under it. I'm afraid the digital generation may overcome the physical world and leave wilderness protection and animal appreciation out in the cold, so to speak. The internet is a great tool and a wonderful connection, but these paintings are my fear that we may lose those real world beauties and wonders to digital images forever if we're not careful.

Barn owls are one of my favorite birds, and I'm always excited and pleased when I get the chance to see them in real life. So this painting helps remind myself to get out my chair and out of my studio to go seek out the real thing, not only for my art, but for my expanding wonder in our beautiful planet.

The original is still available, an 18x24, framed for $800.

Unmatted 11x14 prints are available for $30. Contact me at [email protected], if you're interested in purchasing a print or visit me at http://kyleploehnart.blogspot.com