500,000 Honeybees Perish in Netherlands Deliberate Blaze.
A Dutch beekeeper has expressed shock after his ten colonies were set ablaze in a park in the central city of Almere, resulting in the loss of an approximated 500,000 bees.
Harold Stringer stated that each hive contained a population of 40-60,000 bees, and the idea that anyone could destroy them was horrific.
"It really hurts that my 10 hives have perished," he told regional media.
Law enforcement in Almere, located to the northeast of Amsterdam, have appealed for observers after the arson attack on Tuesday night in the city's picturesque Beatrixpark. They shared pictures of the fire on online platforms.
The Dutch government says that over 50% of the country's 360 species of bee are at risk of dying out, as the population of bees decreases around the world.
Mr Stringer explained that authorities had informed him an accelerant had been employed to ignite the colonies, which were sitting on wooden platforms in a forested area of the park.
Almost none of the bees survived and he noted that he had doubt the arsonist would be caught.
Fellow beekeeper Heleen Nieman stated on national radio that she had three hives and wanted to donate a colony.
For Mr Stringer, who cared for the colonies for about almost a decade, the incident means building a fresh hive in the park from the beginning.
But he insists he will not give up.
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