Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior

The Genomic Basis of Social Parasitism: A Geographical Mosaic of Behavioural, Chemical, and Environmental Adaptations in a Widespread Host-Parasite System

This study examines coevolution between a host and parasitic ant species across a climate gradient, revealing asymmetric genomic responses and shared adaptations to environmental pressures.

Visual physiology of Australian stingless bees

This study compares the visual physiology of two Australian stingless bee species, finding differences in contrast sensitivity but not spatial resolution.

Dynamics of mound repair behavior in termites

This study investigates mound repair behavior in termites by creating breaches and observing repair dynamics, identifying light as a systemic cue that triggers repair through an extraocular mechanism.

Bumblebees locate goals in 3D with absolute height estimation from ventral optic flow

This study investigates how bumblebees estimate height in 3D space using ventral optic flow and local/global cues during foraging.

Temporary parasitic ants modify nestmate discrimination patterns of host workers

This study shows that the temporary social parasite Lasius umbratus alters the nestmate discrimination patterns of its host L. japonicus through chemical mimicry.

Gustatory sensitivity to amino acids in bumblebees

This study investigates bumblebees' gustatory sensitivity to valine and lysine, finding valine detection at low concentrations but no response to lysine, suggesting receptor specificity.

What makes a society dead: accumulation of uric acid increases infectious disease risk in termites

The paper shows that uric acid accumulation in termite workers increases their susceptibility to infectious diseases by reducing reactive oxygen species levels, linking colony health to individual antioxidant balance.

Trapline foraging by nectar-collecting hornets

This study shows that Japanese yellow hornets develop trapline foraging routes similar to bees and birds, optimizing flower visits over time without always taking the shortest path.

Bumblebees increase their learning flight altitude in dense environments

This study shows bumblebees adjust their flight altitude and orientation in dense environments to navigate and locate their nest more effectively.

Behavioral Interactions in Two Ant Species in The Southeast United States and Evidence for a Native Supercolony

The paper studies behavioral interactions between two ant species in the southeastern US, finding that D. smithi shows low aggression across sites, suggesting supercolony behavior, while D. bureni exhibits high aggression, and the species interact aggressively in pure nests.

A SNP-based honey bee paternity assignment test for evaluating the effectiveness of mating stations and its application to the Ataun valley, Basque Country, Spain

The paper develops a SNP-based paternity assignment test to evaluate mating station effectiveness in honey bees and applies it to a specific location in Spain.

Ancestral complexity and constrained diversification of the ant olfactory system

This study investigates the evolution of the ant olfactory system across the Formicidae phylogeny, revealing ancestral complexity and lineage-specific adaptations in olfactory pathways and recognition cue processing.

Behavioural biomechanics: leaf-cutter ant cutting behaviour depends on leaf edge geometry

This study shows leaf-cutter ants use different cutting strategies based on leaf edge geometry, with scissor-cutting preferred for wide notches and knife-cutting for narrow ones, due to mechanical challenges.

The BumbleBox: An open-source platform for quantifying behavior in bumblebee colonies

The BumbleBox is an open-source platform for automated tracking and behavioral quantification of bumblebees using low-cost components, validated in Bombus impatiens.

Social evolution and absence of olfactory function in larval honey bees

The paper shows larval honey bees have reduced olfactory function and rely on taste for feeding, with downregulated olfactory receptor genes and upregulated gustatory receptor genes.

Male bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) are more explorative and behaviourally flexible than workers.

This study compares exploratory behavior and behavioral flexibility between male and female bumblebees, finding males more explorative and flexible in a learning task.

Parasite-induced replacement of host microbiota- Impact of Xenos gadagkari parasitization on the microbiota of Polistes wattii

This study uses 16S rRNA sequencing to show that Xenos gadagkari parasitism replaces and homogenizes the microbiota of Polistes wattii, making it resemble that of strepsipterans.

The external rumen of dung beetles: Complex interactions between larvae and their ontogenetic environments shape growth and life history

This study investigates how dung beetle larvae modify their environment and assesses the impact on adult life-history traits, finding no benefit from conspecific modifications but faster development in heterospecific treatments.

Unexpected absence of a multiple-queen supergene haplotype from supercolonial populations of Formica ants

The paper examines the role of a supergene haplotype in supercolonial Formica ants and finds it absent in supercolonial populations despite its association with polygyny.

Castes and developmental stages of the harvester ant P. californicus differ in genome-wide and gene specific DNA methylation

This study examines DNA methylation patterns in different castes and developmental stages of the harvester ant P. californicus, finding significant variation and correlations with gene expression and metabolic activity.

Complexity shapes uniqueness: Neuropil volumes and synaptic clusters shape behavioural plasticity under challenging environments in the invasive Argentine ants

This study examines how neuroanatomy and synaptic clusters influence behavioural plasticity in Argentine ants under varying environmental complexity.

Expression of elongase- and desaturase-encoding genes shapes the cuticular hydrocarbon profiles of honey bees

This study examines gene expression of elongase- and desaturase-encoding genes in honey bees and links it to cuticular hydrocarbon profiles across task groups and subspecies.

Disruption of Collective Behavior Correlates with Reduced Interaction Efficiency

This study shows that antibiotic exposure reduces social interactions in honeybees, disrupting collective fanning behavior.

Swarming rate and timing of unmanaged honeybee colonies (Apis mellifera carnica) in a forest environment

The paper monitors swarming behavior of wild honeybee colonies to determine swarming rates and timing in a forest environment.

The Social and Nutritional Factors Controlling the Growth of Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) Queens

This study develops a lab-based method for rearing honey bee queens under controlled conditions and identifies factors like larval age and pollen nutrition affecting queen development.

Social learning of navigational routes in tandem running acorn ants (Temnothorax nylanderi)

This study shows that acorn ants socially learn navigational routes during tandem running and use them in future trips, with longer runs improving learning efficiency.

The economic strategies of superorganisms

This study tests whether an economic spectrum explains variation in ant ecological strategies, finding parallels with plant leaf economics spectra.

From citizen to scientist: evaluating ant observation accuracy on a Mediterranean archipelago

This study evaluates ant identification accuracy on iNaturalist in the Balearic Islands by comparing community identifications with expert validation across taxonomic levels.

Palatability of Insecticides and Protein in Sugar Solutions to Argentine Ants

This study evaluates the palatability of insecticides and egg white protein in sugar solutions to Argentine ants, finding that toxicants are not unpalatable but egg protein is.

Queen number shapes worker longevity, fecundity and gene expression in the invasive, highly polygynous ant Tapinoma magnum

This study examines how queen number affects worker longevity, fecundity, and gene expression in the polygynous ant Tapinoma magnum, finding that more queens reduce worker lifespan and fertility.