500,000 Bees Killed in Dutch Arson Attack.
A Dutch beekeeper has voiced shock after his ten colonies were burned down in a park in the city of Almere, causing the loss of an approximated half a million bees.
The beekeeper stated that every colony housed a colony of 40-60,000 bees, and the idea that someone could destroy them was horrific.
"It is deeply painful that my 10 hives have perished," he told local broadcaster.
Law enforcement in Almere, located to the east of Amsterdam, have appealed for observers after the arson attack on Tuesday night in the city's scenic Beatrixpark. They shared pictures of the blaze on online platforms.
The Netherlands authorities reports that more than half of the country's 360 types 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 used to burn the colonies, which were sitting on pallets in a wooded part of the park.
Almost none of the bees survived and he said that he had little faith the perpetrator would be apprehended.
Fellow beekeeper a local beekeeper told Dutch radio that she had three bee colonies and planned to give him a colony.
For the beekeeper, who cared for the colonies for about almost a decade, the incident means building a new colony in the park from scratch.
But he insists he will continue his efforts.
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