Half a Million Honeybees Perish in Dutch Deliberate Blaze.
A Dutch beekeeper has expressed shock after his ten colonies were burned down in a public garden in the city of Almere, resulting in the loss of an approximated 500,000 bees.
Harold Stringer mentioned that each hive contained a colony of 40-60,000 bees, and the idea that someone could kill them was horrific.
"It really hurts that my ten colonies have perished," he told local broadcaster.
Police in Almere, located to the east of Amsterdam, have requested observers after the deliberate fire on Tuesday evening in the city's picturesque Beatrixpark. They shared images of the blaze on social media.
The Dutch government reports that over 50% of the nation's 360 species of bee are at threat of dying out, as the population of bees declines globally.
Mr Stringer said that police had told him an flammable substance had been used to burn the hives, which were sitting on pallets in a wooded part of the park.
Almost none of the insects survived and he said that he had doubt the perpetrator would be caught.
Fellow beekeeper Heleen Nieman stated on Dutch radio that she had three hives and wanted to donate one of them.
For the beekeeper, who cared for the colonies for about almost a decade, the fire means building a fresh hive in the park from scratch.
But he insists he will continue his efforts.
Related Incidents
- 'One Million Bees' Lost in Deliberate Hive Fire.
