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

Harold Stringer stated that every colony contained a colony of forty to sixty thousand bees, and the thought that someone could destroy them was horrific.

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

Law enforcement in Almere, which sits to the east of Amsterdam, have appealed for witnesses after the arson attack on Tuesday night in the city's picturesque Beatrixpark. They posted images of the blaze on social media.

The Netherlands authorities reports that over 50% of the country's 360 species of bee are at risk of extinction, as the number of bees declines around the world.

Mr Stringer said that police had informed him an flammable substance had been used to ignite the hives, which were sitting on pallets in a forested area of the park.

Barely any of the insects survived and he said that he had little faith the perpetrator would be apprehended.

Another apiarist Heleen Nieman stated on Dutch radio that she had three hives and wanted to give him a colony.

For the beekeeper, who looked after the bees for about almost a decade, the fire means starting a fresh hive in the park from the beginning.

But he insists he will not give up.

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• A Million Bees Killed in Deliberate Hive Fire.