Half a Million Honeybees Killed in Netherlands Deliberate Blaze.

Destroyed beehives — Harold Stringer's 10 beehives were razed in a park in the city of Almere.

A beekeeper from the Netherlands has expressed shock after his 10 beehives were set ablaze in a park in the central city of Almere, resulting in the loss of an approximated 500,000 bees.

Harold Stringer mentioned that every colony housed a population of 40-60,000 bees, and the thought that someone could destroy them was devastating.

"It really hurts that my 10 hives have died," he informed regional media.

Law enforcement in Almere, which sits to the northeast of Amsterdam, have requested witnesses after the deliberate fire on Tuesday night in the city's picturesque Beatrixpark. They shared pictures of the blaze on online platforms.

The Netherlands authorities reports that more than half of the country's 360 types of bee are at threat of dying out, as the population of bees decreases around the world.

Mr Stringer explained that authorities had informed him an flammable substance had been employed to burn the colonies, which were placed on wooden platforms in a wooded part of the garden.

Barely any of the insects survived and he noted that he had doubt the perpetrator would be caught.

Another apiarist a local beekeeper told Dutch radio that she had three bee colonies and planned to give him one of them.

For Mr Stringer, who cared for the bees for about nine years, the fire means starting a new colony in the area from the beginning.

But he insists he will continue his efforts.