500,000 Bees Killed in Dutch Fire Incident.
A Dutch beekeeper has voiced dismay after his 10 beehives were burned down in a park in the central city of Almere, resulting in the loss of an estimated 500,000 bees.
Harold Stringer mentioned that each hive contained a colony of forty to sixty thousand bees, and the idea that anyone could kill them was devastating.
"It is deeply painful that my 10 hives have died," he told regional media.
Police in Almere, located to the northeast of Amsterdam, have requested observers after the arson attack on Tuesday night in the city's picturesque Beatrixpark. They posted pictures of the blaze on social media.
The Dutch government says that more than half of the nation's 360 species of bee are at risk of dying out, as the population of bees decreases globally.
The beekeeper said that police had told him an flammable substance had been used to ignite the colonies, which were sitting on pallets in a forested area of the park.
Barely any of the insects survived and he said that he had little faith the perpetrator would be apprehended.
Fellow beekeeper a local beekeeper told national radio that she had three bee colonies and wanted to donate 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 the beginning.
But he affirms he will continue his efforts.
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