500,000 Honeybees Killed in Dutch Deliberate Blaze.
A Dutch beekeeper has voiced shock after his ten colonies were burned down in a park in the city of Almere, resulting in the death of an approximated 500,000 bees.
Harold Stringer mentioned that each hive housed a colony of forty to sixty thousand bees, and the thought that someone could kill them was devastating.
"It really hurts that my 10 hives have died," he told regional media.
Law enforcement in Almere, located to the northeast of Amsterdam, have requested witnesses after the deliberate fire on Tuesday evening in the city's scenic Beatrixpark. They posted images of the blaze on online platforms.
The Netherlands authorities reports that more than half of the nation's 360 species of bee are at risk of extinction, as the number of bees declines around the world.
Mr Stringer explained that authorities had told him an flammable substance had been used to ignite the colonies, which were sitting on pallets in a forested area of the garden.
Barely any of the insects made it through and he noted that he had little faith the arsonist would be apprehended.
Another apiarist Heleen Nieman stated on Dutch radio that she had three hives and planned to give him a colony.
For Mr Stringer, who looked after the colonies for about nine years, the incident means starting a new colony in the area from the beginning.
But he insists he will not give up.
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- 'One Million Bees' Killed in Hives Arson Attack.
