Half a Million Honeybees Killed in Dutch Fire Incident.
A beekeeper from the Netherlands has voiced shock after his ten colonies were set ablaze in a park in the central city of Almere, causing the loss of an approximated half a million bees.
Harold Stringer mentioned that each hive contained a population of 40-60,000 bees, and the idea that someone could destroy them was horrific.
"It really hurts that my ten colonies have died," he told local broadcaster.
Police in Almere, located to the east of Amsterdam, have requested witnesses after the arson attack on Tuesday evening in the city's picturesque Beatrixpark. They shared pictures of the blaze on social media.
The Dutch government says that more than half of the nation's 360 types of bee are at threat of dying out, as the number of bees declines globally.
The beekeeper explained that authorities had informed him an accelerant had been employed to ignite the colonies, which were sitting on pallets in a wooded part of the park.
Almost none of the insects 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 bee colonies and wanted to give him a colony.
For Mr Stringer, who cared for the bees for about nine years, the incident means starting a new colony in the area from scratch.
But he insists he will not give up.
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