Pests and predators of European honeybee Apis mellifera as documented from the State of Punjab, India

Abstract

Honeybees are highly social and cosmopolitan insects of great economic importance to mankind. They not only render economic benefits in the form of a number of hive products like honey, beeswax, royal jelly, bee venom and propolis, but also provide ecosystem services by cross pollination of several cultivated and wild plant species. In recent years, serious losses of bees from beehives and a decline in bee population have been reported. Honeybees are attacked by a number of pests and predators. Punjab is among those states of India where agriculture is the main occupation of the people. The present work was therefore undertaken to study the pests and predators of European honeybee Apis mellifera in the State of Punjab.  In all, 29 species of pests and predators belonging to different groups were observed/collected from the bee hives. These included 15 insect species, 6 arachnids, 2 molluscans, one anuran, retile and rodent each and two species of birds. Among insects, all the 7 hymenopteran species were predators, while the other insects were pests; among arachnids, except for Chelifer, which was both-pest as well as predator, all others were pests; both the molluscan species were found to be pests. All the vertebrate species were found to be predators.