500,000 Bees Perish in Netherlands Arson Attack.

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

A beekeeper from the Netherlands has expressed shock after his ten colonies were set ablaze in a park in the central city of Almere, causing the death of an estimated half a million bees.

The beekeeper mentioned that each hive contained a population of 40-60,000 bees, and the idea that someone could kill them was devastating.

"It really hurts that my ten colonies have died," he told regional media.

Police in Almere, located to the east of Amsterdam, have requested observers after the deliberate fire on Tuesday night in the city's scenic Beatrixpark. They shared images of the fire on social media.

The Netherlands authorities says that more than half of the nation's 360 types of bee are at threat of extinction, as the number of bees decreases globally.

The beekeeper said that police had told him an accelerant had been employed to ignite the hives, which were placed on pallets in a forested area of the park.

Barely any of the bees made it through and he noted that he had doubt the perpetrator would be apprehended.

Another apiarist Heleen Nieman stated on national radio that she had three bee colonies and planned to give him one of them.

For the beekeeper, who looked after the colonies for about nine years, the fire means starting a fresh hive in the area from the beginning.

But he insists he will not give up.