Half a Million Bees Killed in Dutch Deliberate Blaze.

A beekeeper from the Netherlands has expressed dismay after his ten colonies were set ablaze in a public garden in the central city of Almere, resulting in the loss of an estimated 500,000 bees.

Harold Stringer stated that every colony contained a population of forty to sixty thousand bees, and the thought that anyone could destroy them was devastating.

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

Police in Almere, which sits to the northeast of Amsterdam, have requested witnesses after the arson attack on Tuesday evening in the city's scenic Beatrixpark. They posted images of the fire on online platforms.

The Netherlands authorities reports that over 50% of the country's 360 types of bee are at risk of dying out, as the population of bees decreases around the world.

The beekeeper explained that authorities had informed him an flammable substance had been employed to ignite the colonies, which were sitting on pallets in a forested area of the garden.

Barely any of the bees made it through and he said that he had little faith the perpetrator would be apprehended.

Fellow beekeeper Heleen Nieman stated on national radio that she had three hives and wanted to give him a colony.

For Mr Stringer, who cared for the bees for about almost a decade, the incident means starting a fresh hive in the park from the beginning.

But he affirms he will not give up.

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