Half a Million Bees Perish in Dutch Fire Incident.
A beekeeper from the Netherlands has expressed shock after his 10 beehives were burned down in a public garden in the central city of Almere, resulting in the loss of an approximated half a million bees.
Harold Stringer stated that each hive housed a colony of forty to sixty thousand bees, and the thought that anyone could kill them was horrific.
"It really hurts that my 10 hives have perished," he told regional media.
Law enforcement in Almere, located to the east of Amsterdam, have requested observers after the arson attack on Tuesday evening in the city's picturesque Beatrixpark. They posted pictures of the blaze on social media.
The Dutch government says that more than half of the country's 360 species of bee are at risk of dying out, as the population of bees declines around the world.
Mr Stringer explained that authorities had informed him an accelerant had been employed to burn the hives, which were sitting on wooden platforms in a forested area of the park.
Almost none of the insects survived and he said that he had little faith the perpetrator would be apprehended.
Fellow beekeeper a local beekeeper stated on Dutch radio that she had three bee colonies and planned to give him a colony.
For the beekeeper, who looked after the bees for about almost a decade, the fire means starting a fresh hive in the park from the beginning.
But he affirms he will continue his efforts.
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