Half a Million Bees Killed in Netherlands Arson Attack.
A Dutch beekeeper has expressed dismay after his ten colonies were set ablaze in a park in the central city of Almere, causing the death of an estimated 500,000 bees.
Harold Stringer mentioned that every colony housed a population of 40-60,000 bees, and the idea that someone could kill them was devastating.
"It really hurts that my ten colonies have perished," he told regional media.
Law enforcement in Almere, which sits to the northeast of Amsterdam, have appealed for witnesses after the deliberate fire on Tuesday night in the city's picturesque Beatrixpark. They posted pictures of the fire on online platforms.
The Dutch government says 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 authorities had informed him an accelerant had been used to burn the hives, which were placed 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 caught.
Another apiarist a local beekeeper told national radio that she had three hives and wanted to donate a colony.
For the beekeeper, who cared for the bees for about almost a decade, the fire means building a new colony in the area from scratch.
But he affirms he will continue his efforts.
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