Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior

Antlion larvae follow optimality rules in body orientation during sand-tossing

Antlion larvae reorient toward prey-like vibrations using optimal angular paths to achieve efficient sand-throwing positions.

Whole forest in a pouch? Methods converge in uncovering wood ants fungal and bacterial microbiota

The paper characterizes fungal and bacterial communities in the infrabuccal pockets of Formica polyctena ants using multiple methods, finding diverse fungal genera and stable bacterial communities.

Persist or Give up? Fire ants motivated to search for a high-quality food source even if they don't know how to find it

This study shows that fire ants rely on pheromone trails to find food and abandon resources when trails are disrupted, but persist more with high-quality food.

Behavioral compensation preserves collective behavior when individual members are compromised

The paper shows that groups of honeybees maintain thermoregulatory behavior when some members are impaired, due to behavioral compensation by others.

Tolerance toward foreigners in ants requires chronic exposure for establishment but only sporadic exposure for maintenance

The paper shows that ants can develop tolerance toward foreigners through chronic exposure but maintain it with sporadic exposure.

Vibrational signatures and mimicry in ant-termite and termite-termite interactions

The paper analyzes vibrational signatures in ant and termite interactions, showing species-specific strategies and mimicry.

Beyond Gloger's rule: multiple biogeographic drivers of dark and red colouration in ants

The paper tests the complex Gloger's rule in ants using global data, finding that darkness and redness are influenced by different environmental factors.

Nutritional responses of bumblebees to thermal stress

This study examines how bumblebees adjust their nutritional choices under different thermal stresses, finding that cold stress prioritizes carbohydrates while heat stress disrupts nutrient balance.

Bumble bees that follow a stricter routine innovate less: Foraging behaviors, environmental complexity, and how they relate to novel problem solving

This study shows that bumble bees in complex environments take longer to find novel flowers, while foraging traits like speed and routine formation predict innovation success.

Specialization and adaptation in pollen sterol use by wild bees

This study identifies common and specialized sterol use in UK bees, showing that pollen diet drives sterol profiles rather than phylogeny.

ALTAA: analysis of long-term activity patterns in ant colonies

ALTAA is a system for recording, analyzing, and simulating long-term spatiotemporal activity patterns in ant colonies, revealing motion periodicity and spatial attraction behaviors.

Diversification of pre-mating behaviors through temporal reordering of components

The paper shows that reordering steps in termite nuptial behavior generates behavioral diversity by enhancing movement coordination.

Genetic basis of cuticular hydrocarbon variation in the desert ant Cataglyphis niger

This study identifies genetic loci associated with cuticular hydrocarbon variation in the desert ant Cataglyphis niger, revealing a polygenic architecture underlying chemical signaling traits.

Aphid presence and abundance, more than variation in leaf terpenoid profiles at the plant and plot-level, drive ant behaviour on the perennial forb Tanacetum vulgare

The study examines how plant chemotype diversity and aphid presence influence ant behavior on Tansy plants, finding that aphid abundance drives ant behavior more than plant chemistry.

Repeated evolution of supergenes on an ancient social chromosome

This paper identifies a new supergene in desert ants associated with social polymorphism, showing that social chromosomes are ancient and conserved across Hymenoptera.

Honey bee worker jelly, a nutritional secretion fed to offspring, shows high among-nestmate and among-colony variation.

The paper examines natural variation in worker jelly, a nutritional secretion in honey bees, finding significant differences among nestmates and colonies in macronutrient content.

Social information use across trophic guilds: foraging bumble bees learn from lady beetles

This study shows bumble bees can learn to use lady beetles as social information sources for nectar availability, but do not innately recognize them or generalize learning to food absence.

Below-ground ants follow pheromones more quickly under dark conditions, but pheromones do not affect decision accuracy nor aggression

The paper tests how below-ground ants navigate using pheromones in different conditions and finds they move faster underground but pheromones don't affect decision accuracy or aggression.

Precise, individualized foraging flights in honey bees revealed by multicopter drone-based tracking

This paper uses drone-based tracking to reveal precise, individualized flight paths of honey bees, showing they use unique strategies and landmarks for navigation.

Specific Wavelengths of Light Modulate Honey Bee Locomotor Activity

This study shows that specific light wavelengths affect honey bee locomotor activity, with green light increasing and UV light decreasing it, especially when combined with blue light.

Modulation of decision-making latency by innate, learned andcontextual factors in bumblebees

This study examines how innate, learned, and contextual factors influence decision-making latency in bumblebees during foraging tasks.

The Evolution of Biomineral Armor in Fungus-farming Ants

This study identifies high-Mg calcite armor in fungus-farming ants, linking its evolution to ant agriculture and symbiotic bacteria.

Evolution of neurometabolic frugality in harvester ants

This study measures brain metabolic rates in harvester ants to assess the roles of sociality and body size in brain evolution, finding that body size, not sociality, drives neurometabolic frugality.

Symbiotic entrenchment through ecological Catch-22

This paper shows how obligate symbiosis in rove beetles arises from irreversible chemical and behavioral changes that force dependence on host ants.

Cryptocercus genomes expand knowledge of adaptations to xylophagy and termite sociality

The paper presents two new high-quality genomes from the cockroach genus Cryptocercus to study adaptations to xylophagy and subsociality, finding relaxed selection and positive selection in energy production pathways.

Urban Lasius niger ants more readily accept low concentration sucrose solution than rural ants

This study finds urban Lasius niger ants accept lower concentration sucrose solutions more readily than rural ants, suggesting potential nutritional stress.

Caste-specific proboscis extension responses in honey bees to sucrose and royal jelly stimuli

This study compares the gustatory responses of honey bee castes to sucrose and royal jelly using the proboscis extension response assay, revealing caste-specific nutritional preferences.

Age-dependent shift from high lipid reserves to high haemolymph sugar supply underlies worker maturation in Bombus terrestris (Hymenoptera: Apidae)

This study investigates the metabolic changes in Bombus terrestris workers during maturation, showing a shift from lipid reserves to sugar supply as they age.

Bumblebee string-pulling skill spreads between colonies under open diffusion conditions

This study shows that string-pulling behavior spreads between bumblebee colonies under open diffusion conditions and persists over time.

3D Imaging of Honeybee Swarm Assembly and Disassembly

This paper develops a 3D imaging system to study honeybee swarm assembly and disassembly dynamics, revealing distinct patterns in formation and dissolution.