500,000 Bees Killed in Netherlands Arson Attack.
A Dutch beekeeper has voiced shock after his 10 beehives were set ablaze in a public garden in the city of Almere, causing the death of an estimated 500,000 bees.
Harold Stringer stated that each hive housed a colony of forty to sixty thousand bees, and the thought that anyone could kill them was horrific.
"It is deeply painful that my ten colonies have died," he informed regional media.
Police in Almere, which sits to the east of Amsterdam, have appealed for witnesses after the arson attack on Tuesday night in the city's scenic Beatrixpark. They shared images of the fire on online platforms.
The Dutch government reports that over 50% of the country's 360 species of bee are at risk of extinction, as the population of bees declines globally.
The beekeeper explained that police had told him an flammable substance had been used to burn the colonies, which were sitting on wooden platforms in a wooded part of the park.
Almost none of the insects made it through and he noted that he had little faith the arsonist would be apprehended.
Fellow beekeeper Heleen Nieman told national radio that she had three hives and wanted to donate a colony.
For Mr Stringer, who cared for the colonies for about almost a decade, the fire means starting a fresh hive in the park from the beginning.
But he insists he will continue his efforts.
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