CONTENTS 



ACKNOWLEDGMENT vii 



CHAPTER i THE INSECT WORLD . . .15 



How insects work — Food and water — Growth — Reproduc- 

 tion — Behaviour — Finding the way — How social behaviour 

 develops — Fully social behaviour 



CHAPTER 2 SOLITARY AND SOCIAL WASPS . 40 



A hunting wasp — Varieties of wasp — Social wasps — Wasp 

 society — Males, queens and workers — Wasps in Britain 



CHAPTER 3 VARIETIES OF WASP SOCIETY . 59 



Polistes wasps — Polybia wasps — Wasps in general 



CHAPTER 4 SOLITARY AND SOCIAL BEES . 76 



Bees and flowers — Solitary origins — Development of worker 

 caste — Humble bees — Stingless bees — Theory of hereditary 

 castes 



CHAPTER 5 HONEY BEES . . . .103 



Wild honey bees — Drones and the nuptial flight — Bee econo- 

 mics — Language and dances of bees 



CHAPTER 6 THE ANTS OR PISMIRES . .119 



Nest — Ants and other animals — Food of ants — driver and 

 legionary ants — Gatherers of mixed foods — Honey-pot ants 

 — Harvesting ants — Leaf-cutting ants — Types of nest — 

 Founding new colonies — Castes of ants — Communication — 

 Trail-making and path-finding 



IX 





