Nestmate recognition is the process by which individuals discriminate between nestmates
and con-and hetero-specifics. Nestmate recognition is based on recognition cues, which …

A long-term study of a population of desert seed-eating ant colonies of the red harvester ant,
Pogonomyrmex barbatus, in New Mexico, USA, shows that a colony can live for 20–30 years …

Social insects frequently engage in oral fluid exchange–trophallaxis–between adults, and
between adults and larvae. Although trophallaxis is widely considered a food-sharing …

Communication provides the basis for social life. In ant colonies, the prevalence of local,
often chemically mediated, interactions introduces strong links between communication …

An important requirement for the management of invasive species is to identify the biological
and ecological factors that influence the ability of such species to become established and …

Carpenter ants (genus Camponotus) have mutualistic, endosymbiotic bacteria of the genus
Blochmannia whose main contribution to their hosts is alimentary. It was also recently …

Host–parasite associations facilitate the action of reciprocal selection and can drive rapid
evolutionary change. When multiple host species are available to a single parasite, parallel …

Thrips constitute several families of slender insects with fringed wings and unique
asymmetrical mouthparts. They have become globally important pests, infesting a variety of …

Highly social ants, bees and wasps employ sophisticated recognition systems to identify
colony members and deny foreign individuals access to their nest. For ants, cuticular …

Cuticular hydrocarbons play important roles as chemical signatures of individuals, castes,
sex and brood. They also can mediate the regulation of egg laying in ants, by informing …