Social Insects and Apiculture

The Section Social Insects and Apiculture focuses on any aspect of the biology and ecology of social insects, from understanding molecular, developmental, and physiological processes to behavior, social organization, and ecological aspects. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, caste determination, polyphenism, social influences on development, the regulation of division of labor, the regulation of reproduction, communication, kin structure, social foraging, nest structure and function, and any aspect of social and collective behavior. We are also interested in theoretical, conceptual, and modeling contributions in regard to both the function and evolution of sociality and social behavior in insects. Given the economic importance of bees to agricultural and natural ecosystems, the Section also invites contributions related to bee keeping and mass rearing. In addition to more traditional social insect models such as ants, termites, bees, and wasps, we also plan to publish contributions addressing the social behavior or social organization of species from all insect orders.