Authors :

K. Vijayakumar and R. Jayaraj,

Author Address :

Department of Zoology, Kongu Nadu Arts and Science College, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.

Abstract :

The infestation of Pyemotes sp. on T. iridipennis colonies was investigated under experimental conditions. These parasitic mites were found in intersegments of the queen bee and also found on pupal brood cells. The infested colony becomes queen less and leads to death of the colony within a month. The food store from the infested colonies attracted the bees from nearby colonies and their enemies. The forager bees from nearby colonies were found to collect the food and construction materials from infected colonies and it leads to dispersion of the Pyemotes sp. on nearby colonies. The isolation of infested colonies and skillful management practices are the only way to restricting the infestation and dispersion of Pyemotes sp.

Keywords :

T. iridipennis, parasitic mites, pupal brood cells and Pyemotes sp.