Half a Million Bees Killed in Dutch Deliberate Blaze.
A Dutch beekeeper has voiced dismay after his 10 beehives were set ablaze in a public garden in the central city of Almere, resulting in the death of an approximated 500,000 bees.
Harold Stringer stated that each hive contained a colony of forty to sixty thousand bees, and the idea that someone could kill them was horrific.
"It really hurts that my 10 hives have died," he informed local broadcaster.
Police 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 shared pictures of the fire on social media.
The Netherlands authorities reports that over 50% of the country's 360 species of bee are at threat of dying out, as the population of bees declines around the world.
The beekeeper explained that police had told him an accelerant had been employed to burn the hives, which were sitting on pallets in a wooded part of the garden.
Barely any of the bees made it through and he noted that he had little faith the arsonist would be caught.
Another apiarist a local beekeeper told national radio that she had three bee colonies and wanted to donate a colony.
For the beekeeper, who looked after the bees for about almost a decade, the fire means building a new colony in the park from the beginning.
But he insists he will continue his efforts.
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