Half a Million Bees Perish in Netherlands Arson Attack.

Destroyed beehives — Harold Stringer's ten hives were razed in a green space in the city of Almere.

A Dutch beekeeper has expressed dismay after his ten colonies were burned down in a public garden in the central city of Almere, resulting in the death of an estimated half a million bees.

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

"It is deeply painful that my 10 hives have perished," he told local broadcaster.

Police in Almere, which sits to the northeast of Amsterdam, have appealed for witnesses after the arson attack on Tuesday evening in the city's picturesque Beatrixpark. They posted pictures of the blaze on social media.

The Dutch government reports that more than half of the nation's 360 species of bee are at threat of extinction, as the population of bees declines around the world.

The beekeeper explained that authorities had informed him an flammable substance had been used to ignite the colonies, which were placed on wooden platforms in a wooded part of the park.

Almost none of the insects made it through and he said that he had doubt the perpetrator would be apprehended.

Another apiarist Heleen Nieman told Dutch radio that she had three bee colonies and wanted to give him one of them.

For the beekeeper, who cared for the colonies for about nine years, the fire means building a fresh hive in the park from scratch.

But he affirms he will continue his efforts.