There are more than one million described insect species. This species richness is reflected
in the diversity of insect metabolic processes. In particular, biosynthesis of secondary …

Termites are dominant animals of tropical terrestrial ecosystems. Their success is due to
their eusocial organization as well as their ability to digest dead plant tissues. While being …

Background A decade ago, the mixed reproductive strategy Asexual Queen Succession
(AQS) was first described in termites. In AQS species, the workers, soldiers and dispersing …

In addition to its builders, termite nests are known to house a variety of secondary
opportunistic termite species so‐called inquilines, but little is known about the mechanisms …

Nests of the termite Constrictotermes sp. can be cohabited by obligatory inquilines
Inquilinitermes sp. Recent studies have shown that inquilines establish themselves in …

The queens of social insects differ from sterile colony members in many aspects of their
physiology. Besides adaptations linked with their specialization for reproduction and …

Social insects have developed a broad diversity of nesting and foraging strategies. One of
these, inquilinism, occurs when one species (the inquiline) inhabits the nest built and …

The queens of advanced social insects maintain their reproductive monopoly by using
exocrine chemicals. The chemistry of these “queen pheromones” in termites is poorly …

Trail-following behavior is a key to ecological success of termites, allowing them to orient
themselves between the nesting and foraging sites. This behavior is controlled by specific …

The presence of foreign organisms in the colonies of social insects could affect energy
allocation to growth and reproduction of these hosts. Highly specialized invaders of such …