Eusocial

Eusocial insects are those insects that live in a colony with only some individuals capable of reproducing. Usually there is a division of labour with different individuals undertaking different roles, such as defence or foraging.

Perhaps the most common examples of eusociality occur within the bees, ants and wasps. Colonies comprise one or more queens who lay eggs and these are tended by workers. Other workers are responsible for collecting food for the colony or defending it against predators.

A photograph of wood ants on the surface of their nest.

Related terms

• Aculeate
• Africanised honey bees
• Apiary
• Apoidea
• Bee bread
• Beeswax
• Bivouac
• Castes
• Cerumen
• Drone
• Flying ant day
• Formicidae
• Gyne
• Honey
• Honey bee
• Hymenoptera
• Isoptera
• King
• Nanitic
• Nuptial flight
• Propolis
• Queen
• Queen cell
• Royal jelly
• Sting
• Varroa mite
• Vespidae
• Worker

Related groups of terms

• General biology

Related pages on this web site

• Ants
• Army Ants
• Bees
• Bees, Wasps and Ants - Order Hymenoptera

See other words beginning with E