500,000 Honeybees Killed in Netherlands Arson Attack.

A beekeeper from the Netherlands has voiced dismay after his ten colonies were set ablaze in a public garden in the central city of Almere, resulting in the death of an approximated half a million bees.

The beekeeper mentioned that each hive housed a colony of forty to sixty thousand bees, and the idea that someone could destroy them was horrific.

"It really hurts that my ten colonies 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 scenic Beatrixpark. They shared images of the blaze on social media.

The Netherlands authorities reports that more than half of the nation's 360 species of bee are at risk of extinction, as the number of bees declines around the world.

The beekeeper said that police had informed him an flammable substance had been used to burn the hives, which were sitting on wooden platforms in a forested area of the park.

Almost none of the insects survived and he said that he had little faith the arsonist would be apprehended.

Fellow beekeeper a local beekeeper told national radio that she had three hives and planned to give him one of them.

For the beekeeper, who cared for the bees for about nine years, the incident means starting a new colony in the area from the beginning.

But he insists he will not give up.

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• 'One Million Bees' Killed in Hives Arson Attack.