Half a Million Honeybees Perish in Netherlands Deliberate Blaze.
A beekeeper from the Netherlands has voiced shock after his 10 beehives were set ablaze in a park in the central city of Almere, causing the loss of an approximated half a million bees.
Harold Stringer stated that each hive contained a population of forty to sixty thousand bees, and the idea that anyone could kill them was devastating.
"It is deeply painful that my ten colonies have perished," he informed regional media.
Police in Almere, which sits to the east of Amsterdam, have appealed for witnesses after the arson attack on Tuesday night in the city's scenic Beatrixpark. They posted pictures of the blaze on social media.
The Dutch government reports that over 50% of the nation's 360 species of bee are at risk of extinction, as the number of bees declines 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 garden.
Barely any of the bees made it through and he noted that he had little faith the perpetrator would be apprehended.
Another apiarist Heleen Nieman told Dutch radio that she had three bee colonies and wanted to give him one of them.
For the beekeeper, who looked after the bees for about almost a decade, the incident means starting a new colony in the area from the beginning.
But he affirms he will continue his efforts.
Similar Events
- 'One Million Bees' Killed in Deliberate Hive Fire.
