Half a Million Bees Perish in Netherlands Fire Incident.
A Dutch beekeeper has expressed shock after his ten colonies were burned down in a park in the central city of Almere, causing the loss of an approximated half a million bees.
Harold Stringer mentioned that each hive housed a population of 40-60,000 bees, and the thought that someone could destroy them was devastating.
"It really hurts that my 10 hives have perished," he told regional media.
Law enforcement in Almere, which sits to the northeast of Amsterdam, have requested observers after the deliberate fire on Tuesday evening in the city's scenic Beatrixpark. They shared images of the blaze on online platforms.
The Dutch government says that more than half of the country's 360 types of bee are at risk of extinction, as the number of bees declines globally.
The beekeeper explained that police had informed him an flammable substance had been employed to burn the hives, which were sitting on pallets in a wooded part of the garden.
Barely any of the insects survived and he said that he had little faith the arsonist would be apprehended.
Fellow beekeeper Heleen Nieman told Dutch radio that she had three bee colonies and planned to donate a colony.
For Mr Stringer, who looked after the colonies for about almost a decade, the incident means building a new colony in the park from the beginning.
But he affirms he will continue his efforts.
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