Effect of thymol and formic acid against ectoparasitic brood mite Tropilaelaps clareae in Apis mellifera colonies

Abstract.- The study was conducted during March-April, 2007 with two groups each of four honeybee colonies at Honeybee Research Institute, NARC Islamabad. One group was treated with thymol and the other with formic acid. The 4 gm thymol (powdered form) and the formic acid 65% (20ml) were applied 4 times at weekly interval. It was found out that formic acid killed significantly higher number of mites as compared to thymol. The total honey production harvested from colonies treated with different acaricides remained the same. Key words: Formic acid, honeybees, Laelapidae, mites, thymol. INTRODUCTION O f all the insect species, honeybee is perhaps the most beneficial as it produces honey, royal jelly, pollen, propolis and wax etc which are well known to possess great value for their use in pharmaceuticals, food products and other industrial products (Wakhal ., 1999). In Pakistan et al four honeybee species are found . Apis florea , A. vizcerana , A. dorsata and A. mellifera (Ahmad, 1987). Beekeeping is a profitable business in Pakistan where about 7,000 beekeepers are now rearing exotic species