🔗 Share this article Half a Million Bees Perish in Dutch Arson Attack. A beekeeper's ten hives were destroyed in a park in the Dutch city of Almere. A beekeeper from the Netherlands has voiced dismay after his ten colonies were set ablaze in a park in the central city of Almere, resulting in the death of an estimated half a million bees. The beekeeper stated that every colony contained a population of forty to sixty thousand bees, and the idea that someone could destroy them was devastating. "It really hurts that my 10 hives have died," he informed local broadcaster. Police in Almere, which sits to the east of Amsterdam, have appealed for observers after the arson attack on Tuesday night in the city's scenic Beatrixpark. They posted pictures of the blaze on online platforms. The Netherlands authorities says that over 50% of the nation's 360 types of bee are at threat of extinction, as the population of bees declines around the world. The beekeeper explained that authorities had told him an flammable substance had been employed to burn the hives, which were placed on pallets in a wooded part of the park. Almost none of the bees survived and he said that he had little faith the perpetrator would be caught. Fellow beekeeper Heleen Nieman told national radio that she had three bee colonies and planned to give him one of them. For the beekeeper, who looked after the bees for about almost a decade, the incident means building a new colony in the area from the beginning. But he affirms he will not give up. Related Events A Million Bees Lost in Deliberate Hive Fire. Bees Holland