500,000 Honeybees Killed in Dutch Fire Incident.
A beekeeper from the Netherlands has voiced shock after his 10 beehives were burned down in a public garden in the central city of Almere, causing the loss of an approximated 500,000 bees.
Harold Stringer stated that each hive housed a population of forty to sixty thousand bees, and the idea that someone could kill them was horrific.
"It really hurts that my 10 hives have perished," he told regional media.
Police in Almere, which sits to the northeast of Amsterdam, have appealed for witnesses after the deliberate fire on Tuesday evening in the city's scenic Beatrixpark. They posted images of the fire on online platforms.
The Netherlands authorities says that over 50% of the nation's 360 types of bee are at threat of dying out, as the number of bees decreases globally.
Mr Stringer said that police had told him an flammable substance had been employed to burn the hives, 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 little faith the arsonist would be caught.
Fellow beekeeper Heleen Nieman stated on Dutch radio that she had three hives and wanted to donate a colony.
For the beekeeper, who looked after the bees for about nine years, the fire means starting a fresh hive in the area from the beginning.
But he insists he will not give up.
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