Prevalence of Varroa destructor on honey bees hives in district Karak, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

The parasitic mite Varroa destructor is responsible for heavy losses in honeybee hives, colonies and is a major threat to the beekeeping industry. Varroa destructor the ectoparasitic honey bee mite are known to be capable of infesting and successfully reproducing in Apis mellifera colonies worldwide. Varroosis has not been thoroughly investigated in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, so the aim of the present study was to observe the current status of V. destructor in beekeeping industry in District Karak. Total 14 hives of honey bees were examined. Almost 308 specimens were collected from different localities of the studied area from November 2016 to May 2017.The overall prevalence of V. destructor was in honey bee hives was 0.64%. The parasites were more prevalent during the month of April and November. The infection was higher in larvae, pupae as compared to adults. To control Varroa mite oxalic acid concentration are very effective and can be used without any side effect.