تأثير جنس الحضنة في إصابة طوائف نحل العسل السوري المحلي Apis mellifera syriaca بطفيل الفاروا

Abstract EN

Laboratory and field experiments were conducted at the research apiary of the College of Agriculture, Damascus University, during April and May 2008 in order to study the influence of brood types (drone, worker) on the development of varroa mite population in Syrian local bees Apis mellifera syriaca colonies.

Samples of drone and worker brood were collected and examined to determine their infestation with varroa and to estimate the variation in infestation severity (%) between both drone and worker broods.

The infestation average of drone and worker broods was 10.36 and 1.46%, respectively.

The drone broods infestation rate with varroa was higher by 4 to 17.88 folds in comparison with worker broods with a mean of 7.87 folds.

It can be concluded from this study that the difference in infestation rate between drone and worker broods is useful in predicting the effectiveness of removing drone broods method from bee hives; whenever this rate increased, the removal of drone broods will be more effective in reducing the varroa population.