Half a Million Bees Killed in Netherlands Arson Attack.
A beekeeper from the Netherlands has expressed shock after his 10 beehives were set ablaze in a public garden in the central city of Almere, causing the death of an approximated half a million bees.
The beekeeper stated that each hive housed a population of forty to sixty thousand bees, and the idea that anyone could destroy them was horrific.
"It really hurts that my ten colonies have died," he told local broadcaster.
Police in Almere, which sits to the east of Amsterdam, have appealed for witnesses after the deliberate fire on Tuesday night in the city's scenic Beatrixpark. They shared pictures of the blaze on online platforms.
The Dutch government reports that more than half of the nation's 360 types of bee are at threat of extinction, as the number of bees declines globally.
Mr Stringer said that police 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 doubt the perpetrator would be apprehended.
Another apiarist Heleen Nieman stated on national radio that she had three bee colonies and wanted to give him a colony.
For Mr Stringer, 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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- 'One Million Bees' Lost in Deliberate Hive Fire.
