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A Dutch beekeeper has voiced dismay after his 10 beehives were set ablaze in a park in the city of Almere, causing the loss of an estimated 500,000 bees.

Harold Stringer stated that every colony housed a colony of 40-60,000 bees, and the idea that anyone could destroy them was devastating.

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

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

The Dutch government says that more than half of the country's 360 species of bee are at threat of dying out, as the population of bees declines globally.

Mr Stringer said that authorities had informed him an accelerant had been used to ignite the colonies, which were placed on pallets in a forested area of the garden.

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

Fellow beekeeper a local beekeeper stated on Dutch radio that she had three hives and planned to donate one of them.

For Mr Stringer, who cared for the colonies for about almost a decade, the incident means building a fresh hive in the park from scratch.

But he affirms he will not give up.

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