500,000 Honeybees Killed in Dutch Arson Attack.
A beekeeper from the Netherlands has voiced 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 500,000 bees.
Harold Stringer mentioned that each hive contained a population of forty to sixty thousand bees, and the thought that someone could kill them was horrific.
"It is deeply painful that my ten colonies have perished," he told local broadcaster.
Police in Almere, which sits to the northeast of Amsterdam, have requested observers after the arson attack on Tuesday evening in the city's picturesque Beatrixpark. They posted images of the fire on social media.
The Dutch government says that over 50% of the nation's 360 types of bee are at risk of extinction, as the number of bees declines around the world.
Mr Stringer explained that police had told him an accelerant had been employed to burn the colonies, which were sitting on wooden platforms in a wooded part of the park.
Barely any of the insects survived and he noted that he had little faith the perpetrator would be caught.
Fellow beekeeper a local beekeeper told Dutch radio that she had three hives and wanted to give him a colony.
For the beekeeper, who cared for the bees for about nine years, the fire means starting a fresh hive in the park from scratch.
But he insists he will continue his efforts.
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