500,000 Bees Perish in Netherlands Arson Attack.
A beekeeper from the Netherlands has voiced shock after his 10 beehives were burned down in a public garden in the city of Almere, causing the loss of an approximated half a million bees.
The beekeeper stated that each hive housed a population of forty to sixty thousand bees, and the thought that anyone could destroy them was devastating.
"It is deeply painful that my 10 hives have died," he told regional media.
Law enforcement in Almere, located to the east of Amsterdam, have requested witnesses after the deliberate fire on Tuesday evening in the city's scenic Beatrixpark. They posted images of the fire on social media.
The Dutch government reports that more than half of the nation's 360 species of bee are at threat of extinction, as the population of bees declines globally.
The beekeeper said that authorities had informed him an flammable substance had been employed to ignite the colonies, which were sitting on pallets in a wooded part of the garden.
Almost none of the bees made it through and he noted that he had little faith the arsonist would be apprehended.
Another apiarist a local beekeeper stated on national radio that she had three hives and wanted to donate a colony.
For Mr Stringer, who looked after 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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