500,000 Bees Perish in Dutch Fire Incident.
A beekeeper from the Netherlands has expressed dismay after his ten colonies were set ablaze in a park in the city of Almere, causing the loss of an estimated half a million bees.
The beekeeper mentioned that every colony housed a colony of forty to sixty thousand bees, and the thought that anyone could destroy them was devastating.
"It is deeply painful that my 10 hives have died," he told regional media.
Police in Almere, located to the east of Amsterdam, have appealed for witnesses after the arson attack on Tuesday evening 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 country's 360 types of bee are at risk of dying out, as the population of bees decreases around the world.
Mr Stringer explained that police had told him an accelerant had been used to ignite the colonies, which were placed on wooden platforms in a forested area of the park.
Barely any of the insects made it through and he noted that he had doubt the perpetrator would be caught.
Fellow beekeeper Heleen Nieman stated on Dutch radio that she had three bee colonies and planned to give him one of them.
For the beekeeper, who looked after the bees for about almost a decade, the fire means starting a fresh hive in the area from the beginning.
But he affirms he will continue his efforts.
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