500,000 Bees Perish in Dutch Deliberate Blaze.

A beekeeper from the Netherlands has expressed dismay after his 10 beehives were burned down in a park in the city of Almere, resulting in the death of an estimated half a million bees.

The beekeeper mentioned that every colony contained a colony of forty to sixty thousand bees, and the idea that anyone could destroy them was horrific.

"It is deeply painful that my 10 hives have perished," he told regional media.

Police in Almere, which sits to the east of Amsterdam, have appealed for observers after the arson attack on Tuesday night in the city's picturesque Beatrixpark. They posted pictures of the blaze on online platforms.

The Dutch government reports that over 50% of the country's 360 types of bee are at threat of extinction, as the population of bees decreases globally.

The beekeeper said that authorities had informed him an flammable substance had been employed to burn the hives, which were placed on wooden platforms in a wooded part of the garden.

Barely any of the insects made it through and he said that he had doubt the arsonist would be apprehended.

Fellow beekeeper Heleen Nieman stated on national radio that she had three bee colonies and planned to give him a colony.

For the beekeeper, who looked after the colonies for about nine years, the fire means building a fresh hive in the area from the beginning.

But he affirms he will not give up.

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• A Million Bees Killed in Hives Arson Attack.