The insect integument is covered by cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) which provide
protection against environmental stresses, but are also used for communication. Here we …

Honeybees (Apis mellifera) are insects living in colonies with a complex social organization.
Their nest contains food stores in the form of honey and pollen, as well as the brood, the …

One of the conditions favoring the evolution and maintenance of sociality is the ability to
discriminate between kin and non-kin, because it allows altruistic acts to be directed to …

Background The honey bee is an important model system for increasing understanding of
molecular and neural mechanisms underlying social behaviors relevant to the agricultural …

Division of labor among workers is common in insect societies and is thought to be important
in their ecological success. In most species, division of labor is based on age (temporal …

In honey bees (Apis mellifera), there is growing evidence that the impacts of multiple
stressors can be mitigated by quality nutrition. Pollen, which is the primary source of protein …

Anthropogenic changes create evolutionarily novel environments that present opportunities
for emerging diseases, potentially changing the balance between host and pathogen …

Chemical messengers are the primary mode of intracolony communication in the majority of
social insect species. Chemically transmitted information plays a major role in nestmate …

Discriminating among individuals and rejecting non-group members is essential for the
evolution and stability of animal societies. Ants are good models for studying recognition …

Inclusive fitness theory explains how helpers reproduce indirectly via the breeders they help.
The inclusive fitness helpers get depends on their relatedness to the breeder (s), colony …