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A beekeeper from the Netherlands has expressed shock after his ten colonies were set ablaze in a park in the city of Almere, causing the loss of an estimated 500,000 bees.

The beekeeper stated that each hive housed a colony of forty to sixty thousand bees, and the thought that anyone could destroy them was devastating.

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

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

The Netherlands authorities says that more than half of the nation's 360 types of bee are at threat of dying out, as the number of bees declines around the world.

The beekeeper explained that police had told him an flammable substance had been used to burn the colonies, which were placed on wooden platforms in a wooded part of the park.

Barely any of the bees survived and he noted that he had doubt the arsonist would be apprehended.

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

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

But he insists he will continue his efforts.

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