Half a Million Honeybees Perish in Netherlands Deliberate Blaze.
A beekeeper from the Netherlands has expressed dismay after his 10 beehives were set ablaze in a public garden in the city of Almere, causing the death of an approximated 500,000 bees.
The beekeeper mentioned that each hive housed a colony of 40-60,000 bees, and the thought that someone could kill them was devastating.
"It is deeply painful that my 10 hives have perished," he told local broadcaster.
Police in Almere, located to the east of Amsterdam, have requested observers after the deliberate fire on Tuesday night in the city's picturesque Beatrixpark. They shared pictures of the blaze on social media.
The Netherlands authorities says that more than half of the country's 360 species of bee are at risk of extinction, as the population of bees decreases globally.
Mr Stringer explained that authorities had informed him an accelerant had been used to ignite the hives, which were sitting on wooden platforms in a forested area of the garden.
Barely any of the bees made it through and he noted that he had doubt the perpetrator would be apprehended.
Another apiarist a local beekeeper told national radio that she had three hives and wanted to donate one of them.
For the beekeeper, who looked after the bees for about nine years, the incident means building a fresh hive in the area from scratch.
But he insists he will not give up.
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- 'One Million Bees' Lost in Deliberate Hive Fire.
