Half a Million Bees Killed in Dutch Fire Incident.
A Dutch beekeeper has expressed shock after his 10 beehives were burned down in a park in the central city of Almere, causing the death of an approximated 500,000 bees.
Harold Stringer mentioned that every colony housed a colony of forty to sixty thousand bees, and the thought that someone could destroy them was devastating.
"It really hurts that my ten colonies have died," he informed regional media.
Law enforcement in Almere, located to the east of Amsterdam, have appealed for witnesses after the arson attack on Tuesday evening in the city's picturesque Beatrixpark. They posted pictures of the blaze on social media.
The Netherlands authorities says that more than half of the country's 360 species of bee are at risk of extinction, as the population of bees declines around the world.
Mr Stringer said that police had informed him an accelerant had been used to ignite the hives, which were placed on wooden platforms in a forested area of the garden.
Almost none of the insects survived and he noted that he had doubt the perpetrator would be apprehended.
Fellow beekeeper Heleen Nieman stated on national radio that she had three hives and planned to donate one of them.
For the beekeeper, who cared for the bees for about nine years, the fire means building a new colony in the area from the beginning.
But he insists he will continue his efforts.
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