Highlight Article 💫 When are hitchhikers useful and when are they a hinderance? 🍃 link.springer.com/article/10.1... #SocialInsects #LeafCuttingAnts #Entomology #AnimalBehaviour #FungusFarming

The surprising vulnerability of a termite’s secret roomate 🪲 In this blog, Igor explores the lives of termite-associated beetles and reveals how forest edges can affect insect societies. 🔗 insectessociaux.com/2026/01/28/t... #SocialInsects #Biodiversity #InsectEcology #Symbiosis #Entomology

New research article! 📰 Siqueira-Rocha et al. show, among other things, that termite-loving beetles living in Constrictotermes cyphergaster termite nests are less abundant near forest edges. 🌳 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #Crypticdiversity #TropicalForest #Symbiose #LandscapeEcology

New short communication! 📄 Raime & Pereira sequenced the mitochondrial COI–COII region of 156 honey bees and show that Estonia’s honey bee population is now dominated by commercial subspecies 🐝 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #ApisMellifera #GeneticDiversity #BeeConservation

New short communication article! 📄 Teixeira et al. mined Illumina genomes to show that A. octospinosus and its parasite share nine satellite DNA families with lineage-specific amplification–degeneration patterns 📊 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #Acromyrmex #Genomics #SocialParasitism

New short communication! 📄 Chan et al. used a Y-maze olfactory conditioning assay to show that yellow crazy ants learn odor–reward associations much more efficiently at warmer temperatures 🔥 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SoicalInsects #InvasiveAnt #AssociativeLearning #Behavior

New short communication! 📄 Rahman et al. combining field surveys, morphology, and barcoding to document the first record of the termite family Stylotermitidae in Pakistan 🌳 ​🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #Termites #Stylotermitidae #DNAbarcoding #ForestBiodiversity #Biogeography

New research article! 📰 Kitade et al. experimentally mixed offspring from R. speratus colonies and showed that simple colony fusion accelerates early colony growth in termites 🌱 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #Termites #Fusion #GeneticDiversity #Colony #Reticulitermes #Eusociality

Hovering battles at the ant nest: the remarkable behavior of a rare ant parasitoid wasp ⚔️ In this blog, Satsuki shares her discovery of fights between female wasps competing for access to ant larvae. insectessociaux.com/2025/12/27/h... #InsectesSociaux #Entomology #ParasitoidWasps #AnimalBehavior

New research article! 📰 Kajiwara and Yamauchi observed O. cremieri wasps hovering near Lasius capitatus ant nests, documenting female pushing competition over ant larvae 🐜 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #EvolutionaryInteractions #Competition #Hybrizontinae #LasiusCapitatus #Parasitoid​

Understanding insect evolution often means looking back in time.🕰️🧬🪲 At #ECE2026Tours, we’ll explore systematics in the biodiversity crisis, paleo & archeoentomology, and museomics, with keynotes incl. @davidperis.bsky.social, David Díez-del-Molino and Emily Anne Hartop ➡️https://www.ece2026.org/

Got some nice work about ant foraging? Can't decide where to send it? We have a special issue just for you! And, as a bonus, it's in (afaiac*) the best journal in the world @insectessociaux.bsky.social link.springer.com/collections/... *As Far As I Am Concerned

New interview with a social insect scientist! 🎙 Stefano Stefano has discovered a hidden layer of complexity in a familiar world... 🐜 insectessociaux.com/2025/11/14/i... #SocialInsects #Interview #AnimalBehavior #SocialInsects #BehavioralEcology #Plasticity #AntResearch #InsectScience

Highlight Article 💫 The sweet link between bee guts and hygiene 🧫 link.springer.com/article/10.1... #SocialInsects #HoneyBees #Microbiome #BeeHealth #HygienicBehavior #PollinatorResearch

Digging on fast-forward: How heat shapes ant architecture 🏗 In this blog post, the authors talk about their research on the effects of environmental temperature on ant digging activity. insectessociaux.com/2025/11/03/d... #SocialInsects #Ants #Temperature #Climate #Warming #Nestbuilding #Ecology

New review article! 📚 Huisken & Rehan review how social network theory and gene networks can be integrated, proposing to link molecular mechanisms with social interactions🧬 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #Sociogenomics #BehavioralGenetics #Superorganism #EvolutionaryBiology #Cooperation

New research article! 📰 Cavallo & @patdettorre.bsky.social examined behavioral traits, showing consistency over time, with no correlation between exploration and aggression 🐜 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #AntBehavior #ExploratoryActivity #Aggression #Colony #Personality #EvoEco #Ants

New research article! 📰 Schumacher et al. studied ant communities using bait experiments, finding that forest layer affects ant activity and competition more than time 🌳 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #AntEcology #InvasiveSpecies #CommunityStructure #Competition #Formicidae #Ants

New research article! 📰 Utaipanon et al. analyzed genetic diversity in an Australian honey bee breeding program, revealing that genetic structure is shaped by geographical and mating factors🐝 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #HoneyBeeGenetics #Pollination #ApisMellifera #PopulationGenetics

🚨 Still 10 days left to submit an abstract for our IUSSI winter meeting in beautiful Leuven, 18-19 December; 🚨 Registration is now open: www.iussi-nweurope.org/meetings

New research article! 📰 Porras-Brenes and Amador-Vargas investigated how carrying oversized loads affects leafcutter ants’ antennae-ground tapping 🎒 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #LeafcutterAnts #ForagingBehavior #SensoryEcology #LoadCarrying #AnimalBehavior #Atta #Antennae #ForagingTrail

Pesticides damage bee parenting — and their larvae pay the price 🐝 In this blog, Leeah explains how, although not highly lethal to adults, some pesticides can harm bumblebees in indirect ways. insectessociaux.com/2025/10/02/p... #SocialInsects #Pollinators #Pesticides #BeeConservation #Bees

📌North-West European IUSSI Winter Meeting 2025 We are happy to announce that our next meeting on the 18–19 December 2025 will be in Leuven, Belgium, hosted by @twenseleers.bsky.social and his team. Plenary speakers: Ido Pen & Rahia Mashoodh @rmash.bsky.social More details to follow 🐝🐜🪳🪲

Want to learn about social #insect nests? Can't (or don't want to) read our giant review? Lead author Paige Caine wrote a blog post for #InsectesSociaux summing up the broad strokes of our synthesis and conclusions looking at #termite #wasp #bee and #ant nests! insectessociaux.com/2025/09/27/i...

New research article! 📰 Kamiyama et al. showed that caregiver identity during the first instar is a critical socioenvironmental cue determining nymph versus worker fate. 🔬 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #TermiteCaste #CasteDetermination #Epigenetics #Parthenogenesis #Totipotency

Insect architects: How termites, ants, and bees build without blueprints 🏯 In this blog, Paige explains how termites, ants, or bees, collectively manage to build complex nests. insectessociaux.com/2025/09/27/i... #SocialInsects #CollectiveBehavior #InsectSocieties #Robophysics #InsectBehavior

New review article! 📚 Caine et al. review studies and robotic models to analyze nest construction across social insects, revealing mechanisms regulating collective building and nest function.🚧 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #CollectiveBehavior #Eusocial #Hymenoptera #Isoptera #Robotics

New research article! 📰 Timmermans et al. analyzed segregation between two species sharing the same nest, finding that they occupy distinct areas and feed on different resources. 🏠 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #Termite #Niche #Constrictotermes #Inquilinitermes #Ecology #Inquilinism

New research article! 📰 Bergbower et al. showed that C. gestroi termites change key behaviors like grooming and wood feeding throughout their intermolt period, showing a new layer of temporal polyethism 🌿 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #DivisionOfLabor #Termites #Coptotermes #behavior

New research article! 📰 Sorrentino and Helms Cahan studied genetic diversity and structure of six ant species across urban / forest habitats in Philadelphia. 🌆 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #UrbanEcology #Fragmentation #Microsatellites #Ants #Connectivity #Connectivity ©📷April Nobile

What do wasps eat? First molecular data for native zone Vespula Yellowjackets. So happy to see this out, finally! Started in 2018.. or maybe 2017.. 🫣involving @uclcber.bsky.social MRes (Ben Bellekom) and MSci (Georgia Law) students @ucllifesciences.bsky.social @dr-bob-brown.bsky.social

New short communication! 📄 Drinkwater, @waspwoman.bsky.social et al. used metabarcoding to analyze the gut contents of 554 wasp larvae, revealing their diverse diet and their role as predators 🐝 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #WaspEcology #ArthropodRegulation #NativeEcosystems #Vespula

New research article! 📰 Farji-Brener et al. found foragers with ≥6 hitchhikers drop leaves more often, but naturally carry ≤5, balancing defense with transport efficiency. ⚖ 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #Foraging #EvolutionaryTradeoffs #LeafcutterAnts #Behavior #Atta #AmazonianForest

New short communication! 📄 Richardson et al. used hand-feeding experiments and a cross-fostering design to demonstrate that larval size reduction stems from impaired adult brood care, not direct pesticide toxicity. 🧪 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #BeeHealth #Ecotoxicology #Bumblebees

New research article! 📰 Das & Gordon monitored the disposal of seed husks in colonies, showing consistent disposal delays only under certain conditions🗑 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #WasteManagement #Pogonomyrmex #NestMaintenance #Ants #NestHygiene #Foraging #TaskAllocation

New research article! 📰 Kovac et al. measured CO₂ production in Polistes wasp larvae/pupae using respirometry, revealing different metabolic rate for P. gallicus larvae and P. biglumis. 📈 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #WaspEcology #Metabolism #Physiology #Paperwasp #Pupa #Climate

At what point does a male social wasp leave his natal nest to reproduce? 🪹 In this blog, Daniela T. Garcia describes how the number of females in a colony of social wasps influences the departure of males for mating. insectessociaux.com/2025/08/05/a... #SocialInsects #Dispersal #Mischocyttarus

New research article! 📰 Haight & Liebig tracked workers and gamergates quantifying movement: gamergates showed lower displacement and were less likely to move than workers 📉 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #ReproductiveSyndrome #Ant #BehavioralEcology #Harpegnathos #Queen #Plasticity

New Short Communication! 📄 Rathery et al. quantified nest excavation in Lasius flavus across 15-30°C using 2D clay arenas, finding excavation accelerated at higher temperatures. 🌡 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #AntBehavior #ThermalEcology #NestArchitecture #Ants #Networks #Lasius

New research article! 📰 Xu et al. combined transcriptomics and metabolomics to reveal caste-specific functions of the prepharyngeal gland in C. japonicus🧪 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #AntBiology #CasteSpecialization #ExocrineGlands #MultiOmics #Camponotus #Communication #Trophallaxis

New short communication! 📄 Garcia et al. showed that M. cerberus wasp males delay dispersal by 1 day in nests with more females, indicating social environment shapes male reproductive timing. ⏱ 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #SocialWasps #Reproduction #Mischocyttarus #Dispersal #Vespidae

New research article! 📰 Kleckner & Ellis reviewed evidence that honeybees may form varied colony structures (like ants), challenging the single-nest paradigm in apiculture. 🏗 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #Superorganism #Ecology #Colony #Sociality #Eusocial #Supercolony #Polydomy #bees

Hi @insectessociaux.bsky.social I was wondering if wild bees from similar/different species sharing the same roof are still considered "social" ? Although they at time try to steal one another's bedroom, they seem to share space in good intelligence.

New research article! 📰 Rowe et al. tracked honeybee bearding patterns 24/7, revealing peak beard formation at night driven by colony size, with overnight bearding risking brood chilling 🐝 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #Honeybee #Thermoregulation #CollectiveBehavior #Bearding #Apiculture #Apis #Nest

New short communication! 📄 Mendoza et al. compared savanna termites, revealing nest-specific plant growth, negative soldier-colony size correlation, and enriched soil nutrients in mounds 🌿 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #TermiteEcology #Savanna #Soil #Caste #Colony

Sunning clusters, the remarkable phenomenon in red wood ants: What causes their occurrence?🐜 In this blog, Peter Chanas explains how red wood ants regulate nest temperature in early spring. insectessociaux.com/2025/07/04/s... #SocialInsects #Thermoregulation #ants #behavior #Sun #Ecology

New short communication! 📄 Béniguel et al. created 4 new PCR tests to genotype fire ant supergenes, bypassing Gp-9 with 100% accuracy. 🧬 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #FireAnt #Supergene #PCR #SocialPolymorphism #InvasiveSpecies #Indelpolymorphism #Monogyne #Polygyne #Solenopsis #ants

Commentary 📝 Why does resource availability matter for honeybee colonies in spring? link.springer.com/article/10.1... #SocialInsects #Bees

New research article! 📰 Timmermans et al. combined behavioral and microscopic gut analysis to reveal that termite inquiline feeds on nest refuse while its host consumes microepiphytes. 🍃 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #TrophicNiche #Commensalism #Termitidae #Constrictotermes #Foraging

New research article! 📰 Wiernasz & Cole analyzed 26 years of genetic data from 95 colonies, revealing that nest occupancy reliably indicates colony identity 🏠 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #Demography #Longevity #GeneticMonitoring #Pogonomyrmex #Ecology #Microsatellite #Ant