Effect of ectoparasitic mite, Tropilaelaps clareae Delfinado and Baker, on brood and brood activity of Apis mellifera Linn. bees in Himachal Pradesh (India)

The impact of ectoparasitic mite, Tropilaelaps clareae Delfinado and Baker, infestation 011hrood and brood activity of honey bee, Apis mellifera Linn., was studied in Kangra Valley (Himachal Pradesh). The depressed, punctured and bald broods appeared when the mite infestation in a colony increased beyond 55 per cent. The T. clareae infested colonies showed a decline in hrood activity during the monsoon and post monsoon seasons. In case of mite attack, there was a negative correlation between the per cent infestation and brood activity.