Phase and Caste Determination in Insects: Endocrine Aspects is a collection of papers presented at a Symposium of the Section Physiology and Biochemistry of the XV International Congress of Entomology, held in Washington, D.C. in 1976. Contributors explore the endocrine aspects of phase and caste differentiation in insects, with emphasis on the crucial roles of juvenile hormone (JH) and queen bee determinator. This book is comprised of 11 chapters and begins with a discussion on the role of JH in caste formation in honey bees, bumblebees, and termites. Subsequent chapters explore environmental, genetic, and endocrine influences in caste determination in the stingless bee; endocrine control over caste differentiation in higher termites and Myrmicine ants; the influence of external factors on hormone effects in termite caste determination; and the role of JH in the polymorphism of aphids. The final chapter deals with the regulation of aphid polymorphism by neurosecretory cells. This monograph will be a valuable resource for entomologists, endocrinologists, physiologists, and biochemists as well as insect enthusiasts.

Bringing together for the first time prominent researchers in social insect pheromone communication, including nestmate recognition, this book looks at ants, wasps, bees, and termites, highlighting areas of convergence and divergence among these groups, and identifying areas that need further investigation. Presenting broad synthetic overviews as well as species-specific studies, the volume will be useful to natural scientists, ecologists, and those interested in pest management, as well as to anyone interested in the fascinating chemically mediated behavioral interactions of social insects.

In more detail than has previously been available, this book comprehensively covers all the various mechanisms of caste differentiation in social insects. For the first time the most recent information regarding mechanisms of caste differentiation in higher termites has been compiled in a well illustrated volume, together with comparative discussion of the whole range of social insects, including bees, ants and wasps.

The latest volume in this distiguished series provides more up-to-date reviews on topical subjects of importance to all invertebrate physiologists and neurobiologists.

This handbook series includes several naturally occurring chemicals that exhibit biological activity. These chemicals are derived from plants, insects, and several microorganisms. Volume I of this series is covers the theory and practice of the strategies for pest control and methods for detection.Moreover, it presents extensive tables that provide the information you need to select the most appropriate bioassay for a particular plant growth regulator or hormone. In addition to the chapters on bioassays, Volume I provides a solid introduction to the theory and practice of natural pesticide use, including in-depth discussions of integrated management systems for weed and pest control, the state-of-the-art use of computers in pest management, and allelochemicals as natural protection. Guidelines on toxicological testing and EPA regulation of natural pesticides are also detailed.

In this landmark volume, an international group of scientists has synthesized their collective expertise and insight into a newly unified vision of insect societies and what they can reveal about how sociality has arisen as an evolutionary strategy. Jürgen Gadau and Jennifer Fewell have assembled leading researchers from the fields of molecular biology, evolutionary genetics, neurophysiology, behavioral ecology, and evolutionary theory to reexamine the question of sociality in insects. Recent advances in social complexity theory and the sequencing of the honeybee genome ensure that this book will be valued by anyone working on sociality in insects. At the same time, the theoretical ideas presented will be of broad-ranging significance to those interested in social evolution and complex systems.