Identification & Management of

Insect & Bird Enemies & Mite

Pests of Honey BeesA.Murugan

Bsc .Agriculture

2014004055

Insect Enemies

Wax moth

Greater wax moth

Lesser wax moth

Others

Ants ,wasps & hornets

HONEY BEE MITES

Varroa Mite

Topilaelaps Mite

Tracheal Mite

Bird Enemies

Blue-bearded

Blue tailed

SpangedDrongo

Red –blacked shrike

Chestnut headed

Blue-cheeked

Green bee eater

Ashy Drongo

Brown shrike

Greater wax moth

(Galleria mellonella)

Major pest of Apis cerana

Occurrence severe during July to October and November to December.

Empty combs , rendered wax , comb foundation and bee collected pollen, if

not properly stored and left unattended, almost always suffer considerable

damage from wax moth infestation

When weak colonies are infected – gallerias is observed

(i) Egg. (ii) Larva (iii) Cocoon (IV) Pupa (V) Adult on Comb.

Management

Frequent examination of the hive

Cleaning all the crevices and removing all the debris

The excess combs in the hive not covered by the bees are removed and stored after the fumigation with methyl bromide

In the stored rooms the spare combs should be stored in tightly closed containers .

Store the empty combs at low temperature (0-10°C) either permanently or for 5 hours. All the stages of wax moth are destroyed at low temperature.

Lesser wax moth

(Achroia grisella)

Seen in high altitudes

Caterpillar feeds on the debris of the comb

The larvae of the another wax moth Achroia lankella occur both inside the combs and

on the floor boards of working colonies

These wax moth decap the sealed cells exposing the pupae inside s=and this diseased

condition called Bald brood

(i) Egg. (ii) Larva (iii) Adult (iv) Adult on Comb

Management

Remove the infested comb and destroy either by burning or digging inside the soil

Unite the weaker colonies

Clean the bottom board at fortnight interval

Adequate food supply to maintain a strong colony (sugar feeding)

Always maintain healthy comb

While staking the super chamber place 1/3rd Tablet of Aluminium phosphide for every cubic ft

Ants

Black ant – Camponotus compressus

Red ant – Dorylus labiatus

Provide ant pans around the base of the stand or oil bands around the stands

Underground ant nests are eliminated by pouring cypermethrin 0.1% emulsion into

them.

Wasp and hornets

It waits near the hive entrance and catches the bees as they come out, macerates them

for feeding the juice to its young

Captures the bees in the field also

A wasp can collect 20 bees a day

Management :

By reducing the width of the alighting board of the hive, the wasps can be prevented

from sitting near the entrance.

(i)Vespa orientalis (ii)Nest of Vespa orientalis (iii) Vespa tropica (ii)Nest of Vespa tropica

Varroa mite

(varroa jacobsoni)

It infects A.mellifera

It is a tracheal mite which sucks the haemolymph from the trachea of the bees causing

reduction in oxygen supply leading to weak bees and death.

The mites found in the sealed brood cells of honey bees where they feed on the

haemolymph of bee pupae

Also feeds externally on the immature stages of workers and drones.

Fig: Varroa mite showing Nymph stages and male

Transfer between colonies is possible due to contact between bees within the hive ,

attachment to the bee in flight, transport of hives , bees being moved between colonies,

swarming etc.,

Management :

keeping the apiary clean

Use of approved products such as Apistan or Apigaurd

Citric oil contain D-limonene appears to be potential one to control the mites

Lactic acid treatment

Lactic acid is clearly better tolerated by bees and does not cause problems in

warmer climatic zones.

The disadvantage is that every single combo must be extracted to spray the

bees with the acid

The dosage applied per comb side is 8 ml of 15 % acid. This treatment can be

repeated two times at intervals of seven days

Tropilaelaps mite

Similar to varroa and the injuries inflicted on bee brood are same.

The abdomen of bees surviving mite attacks is reduced in size and have a shorter life

span than healthy bees

In heavily infested colonies , bees with deformed wings can be observed crawling about

the vicinity of the hive entrance .

Management :

Formic acid is effective.(A solution of 50 ml of 60% formic acid is applied on to the

sponge tissue per comb)

The formic acid should be applied into the colony only in the late afternoon to avoid

damage to bees and brood.

Tracheal mite (A.woodi )

Very small mite (0.1mm) that lives and breeds within the thoracic tracheae of adult bees

The mite penetrates through the spiracles into the first tracheal pair of the thorax of 10

day old honey bees

Typical visible symptom is crawling of bees around the hive and K type wing condition

Management :

Formic acid produces good results by applying by the method as described in varroa

control

Microscopic picture of tracheal mites

Bird enemies

Once airborne the bees are virtually defenseless against birds, several species

can tolerate their venomous stings.

An attack by a single bird or by a few together rarely constitutes a serious

problem , but when a large flock descends upon a few colonies or apiary, a

substantial decline in the worker population in some or all the hives may be

observed.

Different species of birds

Blue bearded

Blue cheeked

Green bee eater

Blue tailed

Chestnut headed

Ashy drongo

Brown shike

Different species of birds

Lesser yellow nape

Greater yellow nape

Streak throated

Yellow rumped

Common swift

Spangled drongo

Red blacked shrike

-+

--

Green bee eaterBlue cheeked

Chestnut headed Ashy drongo

Brown shrike

Lesser yellow napeStreak throated

Common swift

Blue beardedBlue tailed

Spangled drongoRed blacked shrike

Greater yellow nape

Yellow rumped

Management

By using red reflective ribbons around the apiary

Management should also taken to chose the apiary site away from the bird

perching object such as telephone wires, electric poles and other wires,

buildings, trees etc.,

Reference

ELEMENTS OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY (8th edition ) - B.Vasantharaj David &

V.V.Ramamurthy (p.no : 39-43)

https: //www.slide share.net

https: //agropedia/bee enemies.com