500,000 Bees Perish in Dutch Fire Incident.
A Dutch beekeeper has expressed dismay after his 10 beehives were set ablaze in a park in the city of Almere, causing the loss of an estimated 500,000 bees.
The beekeeper stated that every colony housed a population of forty to sixty thousand bees, and the thought that anyone could destroy them was devastating.
"It is deeply painful that my ten colonies have died," he told local broadcaster.
Law enforcement in Almere, which sits to the northeast of Amsterdam, have requested witnesses after the deliberate fire on Tuesday evening in the city's picturesque Beatrixpark. They shared pictures of the fire on social media.
The Dutch government reports that more than half of the country's 360 species of bee are at threat of extinction, as the population of bees decreases around the world.
The beekeeper explained that police had told him an accelerant had been employed to burn the hives, which were placed on wooden platforms in a forested area of the park.
Barely any of the bees survived and he noted that he had doubt the perpetrator would be caught.
Another apiarist a local beekeeper stated on national radio that she had three bee colonies and planned to donate a colony.
For Mr Stringer, who cared for the colonies for about almost a decade, the fire means starting a new colony in the area from scratch.
But he affirms he will continue his efforts.
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