Bioecology and seasonality of Varroa destructor in Apis mellifera colonies of karnataka, India

The level of mite infestation and distribution on Apis mellifera clearly showed that the degree of mite density varies between apiaries and between colonies in the same apiary during different seasons of the study period. Lowest level of infestation- 5.26 percent to as high as 44.81 percent was recorded in some migratory beekeeping sites. Periodical observations were made to understand the seasonal variation of the mite population in 8 isolated experimental colonies and the data was also recorded and the results were subjected to analysis. the mite intensity was maximum during the month of January-February and september to november.