Mites: an emerging problem for bumblebees in the Indian Himalayan Region

To increase crop yield in the high altitude ecosystem in the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR), bumblebees are highly valued insects. An unwanted mites association with bumblebees is an example of a serious threat for the conservation of high-altitude agro-forestry ecosystem. Mites are emerging as a serious pest for bumblebees in the IHR and cause reduction in the pollinating efficiency of bumblebees, population health and in the spread of unwanted pathogens in nests. The mite Uropodina sp. (Acari: Mesostigmata) attacks on queens of Bombus simillimus, Bombus tunicatus and males of Bombus miniatus were recorded in the present study and fitness of bumblebees attacked by the mite population was also determined. B. simillimus queens were heavily attacked and wide distribution of Uropodina sp. on the body of the bumblebees was observed in this study.