🐜Social insects are insects that live in large groups or colonies and have complex social organization.
🐝The three types of social insects are termites, bees, and ants.
🐜The most famous type of social insect is the honeybee.
🐝Social insects are important for ecosystem health and functioning.
🐜Social insects have castes or specialized roles within the colony.
🐝The three castes of social insects are queens, drones, and workers.
🐜The queen is responsible for reproduction within the colony.
🐝Drones are male social insects that have the sole purpose of mating with the queen.
🐜Workers are responsible for tasks such as foraging, nursing, and defending the colony.
🐝Social insects have pheromones that help them communicate with each other.
🐜Pheromones are chemical signals that can be used to mark trails, identify members of the colony, and signal alarm.
🐝The division of labor in social insects allows for efficient colony functioning.
🐜Social insects have a hierarchical social organization.
🐝In many social insect colonies, there is a dominant queen that produces the majority of the offspring.
🐜Some social insects have multiple queens within a colony.
🐝Social insects can live in a variety of habitats, including underground, in trees, and in the soil.
🐜Social insects are ectothermic, meaning they rely on external sources of heat to regulate their body temperature.
🐝Social insects can exhibit eusociality, a type of social behavior characterized by cooperative brood care, overlapping generations, and division of labor.
🐜The study of social insects is called sociobiology.
🐝The evolution of eusociality in insects is thought to be driven by the benefits of kin selection.
🐜Kin selection is the idea that individuals will behave altruistically toward close relatives in order to increase the chances of their genes being passed on.
🐝Some social insects, such as leafcutter ants, have evolved complex agricultural systems.
🐜Leafcutter ants cultivate a type of fungus that they use as a food source.
🐝Some social insects have mutualistic relationships with other organisms.
🐜Ants and aphids have a mutualistic relationship where the ants protect the aphids in exchange for a sweet substance called honeydew.
🐝Some social insects, such as wasps, can be aggressive and have painful stings.
🐜Bees are important pollinators of many crops.
🐝The decline of bee populations worldwide is a major concern for agriculture and food security.
🐜Some social insects, such as termites, can cause significant damage to buildings and other structures.
🐝Termites are known for their ability to break down wood and other plant material.
🐜Some social insects, such as army ants, have complex migratory behavior.
🐝Army ants travel in large groups and can consume large numbers of prey in their path.
🐜Some social insects, such as butterflies, have developed mimicry as a means of protection.
🐝Some social insects, such as fire ants, can be invasive and cause harm to native ecosystems.