Half a Million Bees Killed in Netherlands Fire Incident.

Destroyed beehives — A beekeeper's 10 beehives were razed in a green space in the city of Almere.

A Dutch beekeeper has voiced shock after his 10 beehives were burned down in a public garden in the central city of Almere, causing the death of an approximated 500,000 bees.

Harold Stringer mentioned that each hive housed a population of forty to sixty thousand bees, and the thought that anyone could kill them was devastating.

"It is deeply painful that my 10 hives have died," he told regional media.

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

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

The beekeeper explained that police had told him an flammable substance had been employed to burn the colonies, which were sitting on wooden platforms in a forested area of the garden.

Barely any of the bees survived and he said that he had doubt the arsonist would be caught.

Another apiarist Heleen Nieman stated on national radio that she had three hives and planned to donate one of them.

For Mr Stringer, who cared for the bees for about almost a decade, the fire means starting a fresh hive in the area from scratch.

But he insists he will continue his efforts.