Half a Million Honeybees Perish in Netherlands Deliberate Blaze.
A beekeeper from the Netherlands has expressed dismay after his ten colonies were set ablaze in a public garden in the central 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 idea that someone could destroy them was devastating.
"It really hurts that my 10 hives have perished," he told local broadcaster.
Police in Almere, located to the northeast of Amsterdam, have appealed for observers after the deliberate fire on Tuesday night in the city's scenic Beatrixpark. They shared images of the fire on social media.
The Dutch government reports that over 50% of the country's 360 types of bee are at risk of dying out, as the population of bees decreases around the world.
The beekeeper said that police had told him an accelerant had been used to ignite the colonies, which were placed on pallets in a forested area of the park.
Almost none of the insects survived and he said that he had doubt the perpetrator would be caught.
Fellow beekeeper a local beekeeper stated on Dutch radio that she had three hives and planned to donate a colony.
For Mr Stringer, who cared for the colonies for about almost a decade, the fire means starting a new colony in the park from the beginning.
But he insists he will not give up.
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