500,000 Bees Killed in Netherlands Deliberate Blaze.
A beekeeper from the Netherlands has expressed shock after his 10 beehives were burned down in a public garden in the city of Almere, causing the loss of an approximated 500,000 bees.
The beekeeper mentioned that every colony housed a population of 40-60,000 bees, and the idea that someone could kill them was horrific.
"It really hurts that my 10 hives have died," he told local broadcaster.
Law enforcement in Almere, located to the east of Amsterdam, have appealed for witnesses after the deliberate fire on Tuesday night in the city's picturesque Beatrixpark. They posted pictures of the blaze on online platforms.
The Netherlands authorities says that over 50% of the nation's 360 species of bee are at risk of dying out, as the population of bees declines globally.
The beekeeper explained that authorities had informed him an accelerant had been used to ignite the hives, which were placed on wooden platforms in a wooded part of the garden.
Almost none of the insects survived and he noted that he had little faith the arsonist would be apprehended.
Another apiarist Heleen Nieman told national radio that she had three hives and wanted to give him a colony.
For the beekeeper, who cared for the bees for about nine years, the fire means building a new colony in the park from the beginning.
But he insists he will not give up.
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