Half a Million Bees Perish in Netherlands Deliberate Blaze.
A Dutch beekeeper has voiced shock after his ten colonies were burned down in a public garden in the city of Almere, causing the loss of an approximated 500,000 bees.
Harold Stringer stated that each hive housed a colony of 40-60,000 bees, and the thought that anyone could destroy them was devastating.
"It is deeply painful that my ten colonies have perished," he informed local broadcaster.
Police in Almere, located to the northeast of Amsterdam, have requested observers after the deliberate fire on Tuesday evening in the city's scenic Beatrixpark. They posted images of the fire on social media.
The Netherlands authorities says that more than half of the nation's 360 types of bee are at threat of extinction, as the number of bees decreases around the world.
The beekeeper explained that police had informed him an accelerant had been used to ignite the colonies, which were placed on pallets in a wooded part of the park.
Almost none of the insects survived and he said that he had doubt the arsonist would be apprehended.
Fellow beekeeper Heleen Nieman stated on national radio that she had three hives and planned to donate a colony.
For Mr Stringer, who cared for the bees for about almost a decade, the fire means building a new colony in the area from scratch.
But he insists he will not give up.
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