500,000 Honeybees Perish in Dutch Arson Attack.
A Dutch beekeeper has expressed dismay after his ten colonies were set ablaze in a public garden in the central city of Almere, causing the loss of an approximated half a million bees.
The beekeeper stated that every colony housed a population of forty to sixty thousand bees, and the thought that someone could destroy them was devastating.
"It really hurts that my 10 hives have perished," he informed regional media.
Law enforcement in Almere, which sits to the east of Amsterdam, have appealed for observers after the arson attack on Tuesday evening in the city's picturesque Beatrixpark. They posted pictures of the blaze on social media.
The Netherlands authorities reports that more than half of the nation's 360 species of bee are at threat of dying out, as the number of bees declines around the world.
The beekeeper explained that police had informed him an accelerant had been used to ignite the colonies, which were sitting on wooden platforms in a forested area of the garden.
Barely any of the insects survived and he said that he had doubt the arsonist would be apprehended.
Fellow beekeeper a local beekeeper stated on national radio that she had three hives and planned to give him a colony.
For Mr Stringer, who looked after the bees for about almost a decade, the fire means building a fresh hive in the area from scratch.
But he affirms he will continue his efforts.
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