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A Dutch beekeeper has expressed dismay after his ten colonies were burned down in a public garden in the central city of Almere, resulting in the death of an estimated half a million bees.

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

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

Police in Almere, located to the east of Amsterdam, have requested witnesses after the deliberate fire on Tuesday evening in the city's picturesque Beatrixpark. They shared images of the blaze on social media.

The Netherlands authorities reports that over 50% of the nation's 360 types of bee are at threat of dying out, as the number of bees declines around the world.

Mr Stringer said that authorities had told him an flammable substance had been used to burn the colonies, which were placed on pallets in a wooded part of the park.

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

Fellow beekeeper a local beekeeper stated on Dutch radio that she had three bee colonies and wanted to give him one of them.

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

But he insists he will continue his efforts.

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