Half a Million Bees Perish in Netherlands Deliberate Blaze.
A beekeeper from the Netherlands has expressed dismay after his 10 beehives were burned down in a public garden in the city of Almere, resulting in the loss of an estimated 500,000 bees.
Harold Stringer mentioned that every colony contained a colony of 40-60,000 bees, and the thought that anyone could destroy them was devastating.
"It really hurts that my ten colonies have died," he told regional media.
Law enforcement in Almere, which sits to the east of Amsterdam, have requested witnesses after the arson attack on Tuesday night in the city's picturesque Beatrixpark. They posted images of the blaze on online platforms.
The Dutch government says that over 50% of the nation's 360 types of bee are at threat of extinction, as the population of bees declines globally.
The beekeeper explained that police had told him an accelerant had been employed to ignite the hives, which were sitting on wooden platforms in a wooded part of the garden.
Almost none of the bees made it through and he said that he had little faith the arsonist would be caught.
Another apiarist Heleen Nieman told national radio that she had three bee colonies and planned to donate a colony.
For the beekeeper, who looked after the bees for about nine years, the incident means building a new colony in the area from scratch.
But he insists he will continue his efforts.
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