Half a Million Bees Killed in Dutch Deliberate Blaze.
A Dutch beekeeper has voiced dismay after his ten colonies were burned down in a public garden in the city of Almere, resulting in the death of an approximated half a million bees.
Harold Stringer stated that every colony housed a population of 40-60,000 bees, and the thought that anyone could destroy them was devastating.
"It is deeply painful that my 10 hives have perished," he informed regional media.
Law enforcement in Almere, which sits to the northeast of Amsterdam, have requested observers after the deliberate fire on Tuesday night in the city's picturesque Beatrixpark. They shared images of the fire on online platforms.
The Dutch government says that over 50% of the nation's 360 types of bee are at threat of extinction, as the population of bees declines around the world.
The beekeeper explained that police had informed him an flammable substance had been employed to ignite the hives, which were sitting on pallets 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 apprehended.
Another apiarist Heleen Nieman stated on Dutch radio that she had three bee colonies and planned to give him one of them.
For Mr Stringer, who looked after the colonies for about almost a decade, the fire means starting a new colony in the area from scratch.
But he affirms he will not give up.
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