Influence of some plant extracts on Varroa mite and performance of honey bee Apis mellifera colonies

Nowadays the ectoparasite mite, Varroa jacobsoni still a serious problem affecting apiculture among Lybian beekeepers. Recently, the alternative control based on natural products extracted from medicinal and ornamental plants as control agents for the Varroa mite considered more save to human being and bees. plant extract of Thyme , mixture of Fenugreek & Santonica, Fenugreek alone and Santonica alone were evaluated against Varroa mite at the apiaries located at Sebha, Lybia during (March – April), 2012. The data clearly show that, an increased the efficiency of any extracts used for Varroa control with the superiority of Thyme followed by mixture of Fenugreek & Santonica, Fenugreek alone and finally Santonica alone. This extracts caused an obvious reduction of the rate of infestation either in the sealed brood or on the adult bees, moreover increase in the number of sealed worker brood cells and, lastly, an increase in the number of combs covered from both sides with adult worker bees (colony strength) in the treated colony.