Honey bees are major pollinators of agricultural and non-agricultural landscapes. In recent
years, honey bee colonies have exhibited high annual losses and commercial beekeepers …

Octopamine (OA) and tyramine (TA) are phenolamines that are synthesised from tyrosine
and are widely distributed in insects. These amines play vital roles as neurotransmitters …

Diapause is the key adaptation allowing insects to survive unfavourable conditions and
inhabit an array of environments. Physiological changes during diapause are largely …

Exposure to carbon dioxide (CO 2) has pleiotropic effects in many insect species, ranging
from eliciting rapid behavioral responses such as attraction, to dramatic physiological …

Background Mating is a complex process, which is frequently associated with behavioural
and physiological changes. However, understanding of the genetic underpinnings of these …

Social insects are notable for having two female castes that exhibit extreme differences in
their reproductive capacity. The molecular basis of these differences is largely unknown …

Ovarian activity not only influences fertility, but is also involved with the regulation of division
of labour between reproductive and behavioural castes of female honey bees. In order to …

Carbon dioxide (CO 2) has pleiotropic effects on insect physiology and behavior. Although
diverse, many impacts are related to changes in metabolism and reallocation of …

Queens of social insects make all mate-choice decisions on a single day, except in
honeybees whose queens can conduct mating flights for several days even when already …

Worker sterility is a defining characteristic of eusociality. The existence of the sterile worker
caste remains a fundamental question for evolutionary biology as it requires the existence of …