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Insectes Sociaux @insectessociaux.bsky.social · 2d

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

Reposted by Insectes Sociaux

IUSSI-NWES @iussi-nwes.bsky.social · 4d

🚨 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

Nighttime view of Leuven city center decorated with Christmas lights, with historic buildings and streets glowing in a wintery atmosphere.

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Insectes Sociaux @insectessociaux.bsky.social · 5d

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

Insectes Sociaux @insectessociaux.bsky.social · 7d

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

Pesticides damage bee parenting — and their larvae pay the price

By Leeah Richardson Leeah is a graduate student at the University of Texas at Austin with a particular interest in insect behavior and anthropogenic stressors. In this blog, she explains how, altho…

insectessociaux.com

Reposted by Insectes Sociaux

IUSSI-NWES @iussi-nwes.bsky.social · Aug 26

📌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 🐝🐜🪳🪲

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Reposted by Insectes Sociaux

Andrew Robertson @andrew-antdude.bsky.social · 9d

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...

Insect architects: How termites, ants, and bees build without blueprints

by Paige Caine Paige Caine is a PhD student in Dr. Michael Goodisman’s lab at Georgia Tech. She study fire ants and yellowjackets wasps. In this blog, she explains how social insects, such as…

insectessociaux.com

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Insectes Sociaux @insectessociaux.bsky.social · 9d

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

Insectes Sociaux @insectessociaux.bsky.social · 12d

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

Insect architects: How termites, ants, and bees build without blueprints

by Paige Caine Paige Caine is a PhD student in Dr. Michael Goodisman’s lab at Georgia Tech. She study, fire ants and yellowjackets. In this blog, she explains how social insects, such as term…

insectessociaux.com

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Insectes Sociaux @insectessociaux.bsky.social · 21d

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

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Insectes Sociaux @insectessociaux.bsky.social · 23d

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

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Insectes Sociaux @insectessociaux.bsky.social · 26d

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

Insectes Sociaux @insectessociaux.bsky.social · 28d

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

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Reposted by Insectes Sociaux

Seirian Sumner @waspwoman.bsky.social · Aug 28

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

Insectes Sociaux @insectessociaux.bsky.social · Aug 28

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

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Insectes Sociaux @insectessociaux.bsky.social · Aug 28

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

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Insectes Sociaux @insectessociaux.bsky.social · Aug 16

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

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Insectes Sociaux @insectessociaux.bsky.social · Aug 14

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

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Insectes Sociaux @insectessociaux.bsky.social · Aug 12

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

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Insectes Sociaux @insectessociaux.bsky.social · Aug 6

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

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Insectes Sociaux @insectessociaux.bsky.social · Aug 4

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

At what point does a male social wasp leave his natal nest to reproduce?

By Daniela Torres Garcia In this blog, Daniela Torres Garcia, from the University of São Paulo, describe how she discovered that the number of females in a Mischocyttarus cerberus wasp nest influen…

insectessociaux.com

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Insectes Sociaux @insectessociaux.bsky.social · Aug 1

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

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Insectes Sociaux @insectessociaux.bsky.social · Jul 29

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

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Insectes Sociaux @insectessociaux.bsky.social · Jul 25

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

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Insectes Sociaux @insectessociaux.bsky.social · Jul 23

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

Insectes Sociaux @insectessociaux.bsky.social · Jul 21

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

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Insectes Sociaux @insectessociaux.bsky.social · Jul 16

Hi @sebhaye.bsky.social Great question! Bees in your hotel are likely solitary, sharing space without forming colonies, with limited cooperation, not eusocial as honeybees for example. However, their way of sharing may hint at a form of low sociality/cooperation. Please continue your observations! 🐝

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