Insectes Sociaux becomes PCI-friendly: what does this mean? The scientific journal Insectes Sociaux has become “PCI-friendly” in partnership with Peer Community In ( — an opportunity to speed up and increase the transparency of peer review, without automati…

New interview! 🎙️

@jmeunierearwig.bsky.social explains the recent partnership between Insectes Sociaux and Peer Community In, which promotes transparency and supports open science. ✍️

insectessociaux.com/2026/03/10/i...

#SocialInsects #OpenScience #PeerReview #Preprints #InsectScience

New research article! 📰

@filipegudin.bsky.social et al. show that flies in wasp nests are better interpreted as carrion‑feeding scavengers on dead brood than as true parasitoids of living larvae 🪰
🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000...

#SocialInsects #TrophicWebs #NestEcology #Interactions #ForensicEntomology

New research article! 📰

Tschinkel reveals that the tiny ant P. adrianoi lines its multi‑chambered nests with sclerotia from pine ectomycorrhizal fungi, whose sprouting mycelium binds the surrounding sand 🍄
🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000...

#SocialInsects #SoilEngineering #DesertAdaptations #Behaviour

🐜🔍 Our researchers — Dr. Magdalena Witek, Dr. Gema Trigos‑Peral and Dr. Filip Turza — spent a wonderful morning at Monet International School, where students explored live ant colonies up close. ✨ Curiosity was buzzing everywhere! #Education #ScienceCommunication #Ants #SocialInsects

When are hitchhikers useful and when are they a hinderance? - Insectes Sociaux Insectes Sociaux -

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 By Igor Eloi Igor is a PhD student based at the UFRN campus on the brazilian coast. He is fascinated by how social insects, like termites, behave and interact with other species. In this blog, he s…

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

Aleocharinae termitophiles are affected by habitat fragmentation in deciduous dry forests - Insectes Sociaux Landscape modifications, such as habitat fragmentation, significantly impact wildlife, particularly through edge effects (EE) that alter environmental conditions. Social insects like termites are susc...

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

Genetic diversity of Estonian honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) revealed by mitochondrial DNA analysis - Insectes Sociaux The honey bee Apis mellifera Linnaeus, 1758 has a worldwide distribution with more than 30 subspecies recognized by morphological and genetic methods. Estonia is within the distribution area of the Eu...

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

We organized a workshop on the link between social complexity and invasiveness in arthropods. Lots of interesting discussion. In 2026, we'll review what we've understood and what we've discovered! 🐝🐜🐛
#SocialInsects #Invasiveness #Eusociality #SocialComplexity #Stellenbosch #LifeCycle

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

The Department of Zoology at Cambridge is a great spot to work, in the center of a bikeable town, full of interesting folks.

Apply now! Deadline is a mere month away Feb 9th. www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/postdoc...

#ants #socialtransfers #sociallytransferredmaterials #autophagy #socialinsects #aging
(4/n)

🐜 4-year #postdoc position in the @socialfluids.bsky.social lab @camzoology.bsky.social investigating metabolic cooperation between bodies in a BBSRC-funded project.

www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/postdoc...

#ants #socialtransfers #sociallytransferredmaterials #autophagy #socialinsects #aging #job (🧵1/n)

First record of Stylotermitidae (Insecta: Blattodea) from Pakistan: distribution, habitat preference, and molecular characterization - Insectes Sociaux Stylotermitidae, a cryptic family of wood-dwelling termites (Blattodea), contributes significantly to deadwood decomposition in tropical and subtropical forests. Despite their ecological importance, t...

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

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​

@irbi-tours.bsky.social @cnrsbiologie.bsky.social @cnrsecologie.bsky.social @cnrs.fr @royentsoc.bsky.social @collemyria.bsky.social @insect-science.bsky.social @insectessociaux.bsky.social

#entomology#ants #ecology #evolution #SocialInsects #evobio #globalchange #ECE2026Tours #UniversitéTours

These Ants Kill Their Own Queen Who knew that ants were masters of melodrama? The colonial organisms have long enchanted entomologists and animal behaviorists with their impressive physiological capabilities, unique social structures,...

These Ants Kill Their Own Queen #Science #Biology #Zoology #AntBehavior #SocialInsects #QueenAnts

insectessociaux Commentaries, thoughts and opinions about social insects

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

The sweet link between bee guts and hygiene - Insectes Sociaux Insectes Sociaux -

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 of the Insectes Sociaux article title “High environmental temperatures put nest excavation by ants on fast forward: they dig the same nests, faster” (Rath…

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

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…

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

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 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…

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

Dorymyrmex bicolor engage in more social interactions than D. insanus. (A) Schematic of behavior method with pairs of ants filmed in a glass petri dish for 3 min and interactions coded in BORIS (Friard and Gamba, 2016). (B) Stills from recordings showing D. bicolor engaging in biting (left) and grooming (right) behaviors. In comparisons of nestmate interactions or non-nestmate interactions between species, D. bicolor interact more often than D. insanus (C). In comparisons of nestmate and non-nestmate behavior within species, D. bicolor non-nestmates display significantly more aggressive interactions (D) and significantly fewer affiliative interactions (E) than nestmates, an effect not detected in D. insanus. D. bicolor nestmates participate in antennation for longer duration bouts (F) and a greater amount of total time than non-nestmates (G); D. insanus nestmates and non-nestmates show comparable antennation bout duration and total time. (H) Dorymyrmex insanus display few trophallaxis events with no differences among nestmate or non-nestmate pairs, whereas D. bicolor nestmates engage in trophallaxis more frequently than non-nestmates. Statistical comparisons in (A–E,H) were made using a generalized linear model with a Poisson distribution followed by ANOVA and post hoc comparisons using Tukey’s Honestly Significant Difference. Statistical comparisons in F and G were made using pairwise Mann-Whitney U-test between non-nestmate and nestmate pairs of a species. *p < 0.05; ***p < 0.001; Color code for data point in (C–H): D. insanus cyan; D. bicolor blue.

🐜✨Did you know #colony size may shape how #ants sense and recognize each other? Godfrey et al show ant senses evolve in colonies. Check out their dataset and article at doi.org/10.25422/azu... and doi.org/10.3389/fevo.... Image: Godfrey et al. (2021). CC BY 4.0. #OpenData #OpenScience #SocialInsects

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