A New enemy of the Indian Honey Bee

Introduction.One of the obstacles for the rapid spread of apiculture as a cottage industry in South India is the presence of a number of bee enemies.The Indian Honey bee-Apis Indica is often trouble by various enemies such as the Wax moth(Galleria melonella),the yellow banded wasp (Vespa cincta),the Death's head moth(Acherontia styx).ants,robber flies(Asilidae)not to speak of lizards.bugs,frogs,spiders, etc.which also levy a heavy toll.Recently a new enemy-Palarus orientalis-has been added to this formidable list and the present paper deals with the life history and habits of this wasp together with control methods for the same.