In brief
A Dutch beekeeper named Harold Stringer is devastated after an arson attack in Almere resulted in the destruction of his 10 beehives, killing around half a million bees. Stringer expressed his sorrow over the loss, highlighting the broader issue of declining bee populations in the Netherlands, where more than half of the native bee species are at risk of extinction. Authorities are appealing for witnesses as they investigate the incident, which involved the use of an accelerant to ignite the hives. Despite the setback, Stringer remains determined to continue his beekeeping efforts.
A Dutch beekeeper has spoken of his shock after his 10 beehives were burned down in a park in the central city of Almere, with the loss of an estimated half a million bees.
Harold Stringer said each hive had a colony of 40-60,000 bees, and the thought that anyone could kill them was horrific.
It really hurts that my 10 hives have died, he told local broadcaster Omroep Flevoland.
Police in Almere, which sits to the east of Amsterdam, have appealed for witnesses after the arson attack on Tuesday evening in the city's scenic Beatrixpark. They posted pictures of the fire on social media.
The Dutch government says more than half of the country's 360 species of bee are at risk of extinction, as the population of bees declines around the world.
Mr. Stringer said police had told him an accelerant had been used to burn the hives, which were sitting on pallets in a wooded part of the park.
Barely any of the bees survived and he said that he had little faith the arsonist would be caught.
Fellow beekeeper Heleen Nieman told Dutch radio that she had three bee colonies and wanted to give him one of them.
For Mr. Stringer, who looked after the bees for about nine years, the fire means starting a new colony in the park from scratch.
But he insists he will not give up.
