Individuals within social groups often show consistent differences in behaviour across time
and context. Such interindividual differences and the evolutionary challenge they present …

Honeybees exhibit two patterns of organization of work. In the spring and summer, division
of labor is used to maximize growth rate and resource accumulation, while during the winter …

Parental care is a trait that shows tremendous diversity both within and across different
animal taxa, and is an important topic in evolutionary biology and behavioural ecology …

Deciphering the genetic and neurobiological underpinnings of social behavior is a difficult
task. Simple model organisms such as C. elegans, Drosophila, and social insects display a …

As in all advanced insect societies, colony-organization in honey bees emerges through a
structured division of labor between essentially sterile helpers called workers. Worker bees …

Our understanding of insect societies is rapidly expanding due to an emphasis on
integrative approaches. Emerging tools enabling the molecular dissection of social …

Honey bee (Apis mellifera) queens mate with unusually high numbers of males (average of
approximately 12 drones), although there is much variation among queens. One main …

This paper introduces a conceptual framework for the evolution of complex systems based
on the integration of regulatory network and niche construction theories. It is designed to …

Social evolution in honey bees has produced strong queen–worker dimorphism for plastic
traits that depend on larval nutrition. The honey bee developmental programme includes …

Study of social traits in offspring traditionally reflects on interactions in simple family groups,
with famous examples including parent-offspring conflict and sibling rivalry in birds and …