Prevalence of Varroa mites (Varroa destructor Anderson & Trueman) and bee lice (Bruala coeca Nitzsch) in honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) colonies in Libya

BACKGROUND: Primary key pest affecting the apiculture business in many areas of the globe is the ecto parasite Varroa mite (Varroa destructor), recently, bee lice have become a considerable bee pest. AIM: In this study, the ecto parasites that infest honey bees, were investigated during the spring of 2013. METHODS: A total of 66 apiaries were investigated from different geographical regions in Libya: 34 apiaries from the southern region, 21 apiaries from the north-eastern region, and 11 apiaries from the north-western region. Three bee colonies were randomly chosen from each apiary (316 colonies). From each colony, 300 worker bees were taken as samples, put in container filled with 100 ml of alcohol, and transported to the Honey bee Laboratory—Plant Protection Department at the University of Tripoli’s. The parasites were separated from the bees and identified, and the infestation rates were calculated. RESULTS: The study of the parasite distribution clearly showed that Varroa mites were present in all regions. However, the degree of mite density varies not only between apiaries but also between colonies in the same apiary, while the bee louse, Barulla coeca, was detected in 23.1% and 5.8% of apiaries in the western region and southern region of Libya, respectively. On the other hand, all the inspected apiaries in the northern region were not infested. CONCLUSION: Lack of knowledge about honey bee parasites, poor management practices, and the lack of proper distance between hives of migrated apiaries have been attributed as the possible reason for the spread of these two parasites, especially the Varroa mites in the country.