author(s)
Rohit Kumar Nayak, Kiran Rana, Harish K Sharma, Shabnam Thakur, Paramveer Singh and Meena Thakur

abstract
During early spring, the hibernated queens were trapped from Papaver rhoea, Caryopteris bicolor, Delphinium ajacis, Adhatoda vasica, Brassica juncea and Lupinus mutabilis for initiating rearing of bumble bee, Bombus haemorrhoidalis Smith. Bumble bee colonies were reared under laboratory condition by maintaining 27±1°C temperature and 65-70 percent relative humidity and by continuously feeding the sucrose solution (50%) and fresh pollen pellets collected by honey bees. The average time for wax secretion was 9.33±1.45, 6.50±1.55 and 6.00±1.01 days during February, March and April, respectively whereas development time from egg to adult was ranged between 17 to 33 days. The developmental period of bumble bee colonies was found to be less in queens trapped during March and April.