Half a Million Bees Perish in Netherlands Arson Attack.

Destroyed beehives — A beekeeper's ten beehives were destroyed in a green space in the Dutch city of Almere.

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

Harold Stringer mentioned that every colony housed a colony of forty to sixty thousand bees, and the thought that someone could destroy them was horrific.

"It really hurts that my ten colonies have perished," he told local broadcaster.

Law enforcement in Almere, located to the east of Amsterdam, have appealed for observers after the deliberate fire on Tuesday evening in the city's scenic Beatrixpark. They posted images of the blaze on social media.

The Dutch government says that more than half of the nation's 360 types of bee are at threat of dying out, as the number of bees declines around the world.

The beekeeper said that authorities had told him an accelerant had been used to ignite the hives, which were placed on wooden platforms in a wooded part of the garden.

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

Fellow beekeeper Heleen Nieman stated on Dutch radio that she had three hives and wanted to donate a colony.

For Mr Stringer, who looked after the colonies for about almost a decade, the fire means starting a fresh hive in the area from scratch.

But he affirms he will continue his efforts.