New review article! 📚 Bonhoff & Helanterä argue that a honeybee colony is not immortal but a succession of mortal superorganisms, each giving birth to the next much like a viviparous animal 🐝 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #HoneyBee #Superorganism #ColonyLifeCycle #EvolutionaryBiology

New research article! 📰 M. H. de Oliveira et al. found that a tree-nesting termite extends its colony underground, enriching soil nutrients in one of Brazil's harshest dryland environments 🌱 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #TermiteEcology #EcosystemEngineering #SoilScience #Caatinga

New research article! 📰 Li et al. show that termite workers fight hard against ant predators only when their queen is present, switching to escape when she is gone 👑 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #TermiteBehavior #ColonyDefense #BehavioralPlasticity #QueenControl

New research article! 📰 Farji-Brener et al. show that when rain stops, acacia ants rush back to the branches worth defending most 🌿 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #AntPlantMutualism #OptimalDefense #TropicalEcology #AcaciaAnts

New research article! 📰 Bomfim et al. reveals that a mealybug's rapid abdominal movements aren't a defense mechanism at all, but a signal calling ants over for help � 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #Mutualism #AntCommunication #Trophobiosis #MyrmecologyResearch

New research article! 📰 S. John explains how a jumping spider slips past aggressive weaver ant patrols to steal their prey and even their brood 🕷️ 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #Myrmecophily #JumpingSpider #Trophobiosis #IslandEcology

New research article! 📰 Carta et al. show that honey bee colonies in crowded apiaries produce more drones with higher sperm counts, but pay for it with reduced worker comb construction 🍯 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #SpermCompetition #Apiculture #DroneProduction #SexualSelection

New research article! 📰 Brito et al. reveal that six social wasp species each carry a unique cuticle chemical signature, and that nest architecture may help shape it 🧪 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #ChemicalEcology #AmazonianWasps #CuticularHydrocarbons #WaspBehavior

New research article! 📰 Yabe et al. show that CO₂ emissions alone predict colony biomass with striking accuracy, and repeated measurements leave the colony unharmed 💨 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #Termites #ColonySize #Biomass #BehavioralEcology

New research article! 📰 Shinohara et al. reveals that a thieving ant lives almost scot-free inside its host's nest without costing it a thing 🏴‍☠️ 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #Cleptobiosis #Symbiosis #Myrmecophily #AntBehavior

New research article! 📰 Haifig et al. show that grass stored inside the nest is chemically altered before ingestion, pointing to a colony-scale digestive system 🌾 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #Termites #Microbiome #NutritionalEcology #SavannaEcology

New review article! 📚 Zarate et al. reviewed how male behaviour or its effect on copulation influences colony and population dynamics in Hymenoptera ♂️ 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #MaleHymenoptera #SocialInsects #HymenopteraResearch #InsectBehavior

New short communication! 📄 J. Kim et al. report the first South Korean record of N. vespularum and a new host record in Vespula koreensis 🐝 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #Strepsiptera #SocialWasps #Parasitism #HostAssociation

New research article! 📰 @ericamaul.bsky.social and @smithbeelab.bsky.social reveal that honey bees process dead mice inside their nests, rather than simply sealing them in propolis. 🐁 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #HoneyBees #SocialImmunity #Necrophagy #CollectiveBehavior

New research article! 📰 Grella et al. present a practical workflow that makes West African savannah termites easier to identify and compare across studies 🌍 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #Termites #Biodiversity #SpeciesIdentification #Taxonomy

New research article! 📰 Poissonnier (curiousant.bsky.social), tomerczaczkes.bsky.social et al. show that workers follow pheromone trails with fidelity, regardless of their foraging context 🐜 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #AntForaging #ChemicalCommunication #AntBehavior #Pheromones

New research article! 📰 @beckypadget.bsky.social et al. model how termite colonies may shift soldier investment after fusion 📈 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #Termites #ColonyFusion #SoldierCaste #TheoreticalEcology

New research article! 📰 J.-N. Xu et al. reveal how a juvenile hormone-responsive gene shapes ovarian development and queen-worker divergence in Apis mellifera 🐝 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #HoneyBee #CasteDifferentiation #JuvenileHormone #Transcriptomics

New research article! 📰 Hoffmann et al. show that M. andersoni raids Iridomyrmex nests effectively during high heat, combining speed and chemical mimicry to steal brood 🐜 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #AntBehaviour #BroodRaiding #ChemicalMimicry #ThermophilicAnts

New research article! 📰 Azevedo et al. show that D. quadriceps workers prefer lighter prey and ignore volume changes when weight stays constant 🐜 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #Foraging #AntBehaviour #PreySelection #IndividualForaging

New research article! 📰 Lachaud and Pérez-Lachaud reports new ant–treehopper associations in Mexico, expanding what is known about trophobiotic partnerships 🐜 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #Mutualism #Treehoppers #Honeydew #Ectatomma

New short communication! 📄 Harano shows that honeybee recruits leave the hive with more concentrated fuel than dancers, not just larger loads 🐝 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #Honeybees #Foraging #Nectar #Recruitment

New short communication! 📄 T. Smith documents a slow, cooperative colony split, with parent bees supporting the new nest for months 🐝 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #StinglessBees #NestEstablishment #Eusociality #Pollination

New research article! 📰 Jo et al. shows that foragers' body size strongly influences aggregation in novel environments while exploration and inactivity remain largely size-independent 🐜 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #Camponotus #AntForaging #Polymorphism #NoveltyResponse

Anastasi et al. show that citizen photos can reveal clear seasonal patterns and unexpected winter worker activity in invasive wasps 🐝 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #Wasps #CitizenScience #Phenology #InvasiveSpecies

New research article! 📰 Chiyoda et al. show that Camponotus yamaokai mates across much of the active season, with spring and autumn peaks 🐜 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #Camponotus #IntranidalMating #ReproductiveSeasonality #AntBehaviour

New research article! 📰 Pramatarova et al. reveals that ant–psyllid trophobiosis is far more widespread and underreported than previously thought 🍯 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #AntTrophobiosis #Psyllids #HoneydewMutualism #InsectInteractions

New research article! 📰 Lima Vieira et al. show that prior success makes Pachycondyla striata workers more active, exploratory, and effective foragers 🐜 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #Foraging #Experience #Ponerinae #BehaviouralEcology

New research article! 📰 González-Lleida (pgonzalezlleida.bsky.social), danisaureu.bsky.social & ricaliari.bsky.social, demonstrates how seasonal shifts and opponent identity drive aggression levels 🐜 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #Ant #BehaviouralPlasticity #Supercoloniality #Ecology

New research article! 📰 Joshi (chjoshi.bsky.social) and Dornhaus (dornhaus.bsky.social) show that fire ants keep pursuing rich food even when their trail is interrupted 🐜 🔗 doi.org/10.1007/s000... #SocialInsects #FireAnts #PheromoneTrails #ForagingBehaviour #Robustness