Half a Million Bees Perish in Dutch Fire Incident.
A Dutch beekeeper has expressed dismay after his 10 beehives were burned down in a public garden in the central city of Almere, resulting in the loss of an approximated half a million bees.
The beekeeper stated that each hive housed a colony of 40-60,000 bees, and the thought that anyone could destroy them was devastating.
"It really hurts that my ten colonies have perished," he informed regional media.
Police 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 shared images of the fire on online platforms.
The Dutch government reports that more than half of the country's 360 types of bee are at threat of dying out, as the number of bees decreases around the world.
The beekeeper explained that police had told him an accelerant had been used to burn the colonies, which were sitting on wooden platforms in a wooded part of the garden.
Barely any of the bees survived and he noted that he had little faith the arsonist would be apprehended.
Another apiarist Heleen Nieman stated on national radio that she had three hives and planned to give him one of them.
For Mr Stringer, who looked after the colonies for about almost a decade, the incident means building a new colony in the area from the beginning.
But he affirms he will not give up.
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