Message on the topic of social insects bees. Why are bees and ants called social insects? Features of the complex behavior of social insects: a description. How do social insects differ from solitary ones: comparison, similarities and differences.

Lesson on the topic "Bees and ants are social insects"

Target:

- highlight the structural features of the honey bee and ant in connection with the social way of life;

Show the role in nature and significance in human life; prove the need to protect these insects;

- broaden the horizons of students.

Teaching methods : reproductive, search, research, method of collective decision making

Lesson type: learning new material.

Form of organization of classes : educational project.

Project typology : information - research, short-term.

Equipment: multimedia projector, presentation “Bees and ants are social insects, books, handouts, didactic cards.

Form of organization of work in the classroom : class-lesson, group, individual.

Lesson content:

I . Organizing time (Mutual greeting of students and teachers, fixing absentees, checking students' readiness for the lesson)

Call stage:

Before telling the topic of today's lesson, I will make riddles for you, and you must guess what the lesson will be about.

1. I smell like summer and pollen.

I'm flying to the flowers with a bullet.

But I am very angry.

To the one who climbs into the hive!

2. In the meadow near the trees The house is built from needles. He is not visible behind the grass, And it has a million residents.

II .Preparation for the main stage of assimilation educational material . Activation of basic knowledge and skills.

- In previous lessons, we began to study the most numerous type of animals - the Arthropod type.What are the signs of this type seen in bees and ants? (listen to children's responses).

Jointed limbs

The presence of chitinous cover.

To which class would you classify these animals?

(to the class of insects).

As you already understood, the heroes of our lesson will bebees and ants.

In view of the fact that there is a lot of information about these insects, we will study this topic as part of the project.

Project goals:

To study the systematic position of the honey bee and ant;

study the structure of a honey bee;

study polymorphism in the hive and anthill; find similarities and differences;

to study the importance of bees and ants in nature and human life; protection of insects;

study the history of beekeeping;

to conclude why bees and ants are classified as social animals;

present our project.

III .Stages of work on the project.

1. 3 groups of students are formed:

Each group receives an instructional map on which a plan for studying the topic area is printed. Answer sheets.

Today's lesson will be done in groups.

"Theorists", 2 "Beekeepers", 3 "Biologists".

The request to group members to remember the rules of work in the group, to observe the time.

On the group work 20 minutes are allotted, the speaker's speech time is 3-4 minutes.

Please get started by reviewing the instructional map.

I wish you good luck.

Instructive card "THEORETICS"

Target: study the systematic position of the honey bee and ant, find out their significance in nature and human life, and propose measures for the protection of insects.

1. The systematic position of the bee and ant.

2. External structure bees:

Consider in more detail the structure of the worker bee in Fig. 1 (reference material) and answer the questions?

What parts is the body of a bee divided into?

How many pairs of wings?

How many pairs of legs?

What are the sensory organs on the bee's head?

Features in the structure hind legs. What do you think they are for?

3. What is the importance of bees and ants in nature and human life.

4. Suggest measures to protect insects.

5. Conclude why bees and ants are called social insects?

Instructional map "Beekeepers"

Target: study the history of beekeeping.

1. Where could we find out the information that the bee has become a human pet from time immemorial?

3. What bee products paid tribute, taxes and taxes?

4. What did the ancient Slavs use instead of sugar, and what did they use for light?

5. What was the name of ancient beekeeping?

6. What did the Ukrainian landowner Pyotr Ivanovich Prokopovich invent in 1814?

7. Draw a conclusion that reflects the importance of bees in nature and human life.

Instructive card "Biologists"

Target: study polymorphism in the hive and anthill; find similarities and differences.

Theoretical part.

1. Polymorphism of the bee colony.

2. Polymorphism of the ant family.

3. What is called swarming? What is its biological role?

Practical part.

Using the material of the textbook pages 135-136 and reference material, fill in the table"Polymorphism of bees and ants"

Signs of comparison.

Polymorphism of bees and ants

Uterus

bees

Uterus

ant

Drone

male ant

worker bee

worker ants

1. Body measurements.

l = 18-20 mmm = 0.25 g

Up to 50 mm

l = 15-16 mmm = 0.2 g

Up to 50 mm

l = 12-14 mmm = 0.1 g

2 mm

2. The number of individuals in the family.

1

2 or more

Some

dozens

From several tens to several hundreds

70 000

From a few tens to a million

3. Terms of life.

Up to 5 years

12-20 years old

1 season

Several days, weeks

1 season

Up to 3 years

4. Features of the structure.

Large bee, long pointed abdomen; associated with its reproductive function

similar to workers, but differ from them in the structure of the chest and larger sizes. They have wings that bite off themselves after fertilization

bee medium size with very large eyes , touching at the back of the head,the abdomen is rounded

Develop from unfertilized eggs, have wings

on hind legsbaskets , on the abdomen of the mirror, expansion of the esophagus - honey goiter; at the end of the abdomensting

Females with an underdeveloped reproductive system , They have no wings, a simplified chest structure, eyes smaller than those of females, or absent.

5. Functions performed.

Pairing

and laying eggs

mating

And laying eggs

Fertilization

females

Fertilization of the female

Cleaning cells, feeding the queen and larvae, building combs, scouting, gathering food, protecting the hive.

Caring for the family (Guards, "nannies", cleaning the nest, etc.)

Answer the questions?

1. Give the concept of polymorphism?

2. Draw a conclusion what is the polymorphism in bees and ants, what is it connected with.

2.Search for information.

Students are encouraged to find answers to the questions indicated in the instruction card. Students work with a textbook, additional literature.

3. Information processing .

Students in groups fill out answer cards, prepare a presentation - the defense of the project, and determine a speaker from their group.

4. Project protection.

Representatives of each group present their work, talk about their achievements, draw conclusions:

1. The bee and its metabolic products are of great practical importance. But the most great importance The activity of bees is manifested in the pollination of plants.

2. A bee family consists of a queen, drones and worker bees. Responsibilities are divided among them in the family.

4. Features of the structure of the worker bee are associated with its "professional" duties.

5. The bee and the ant are "social" insects with complex instinctive behavior, in their caring care for the "baby", in the expediency of the division of labor between family members, in their amazing building art

IV . Homework.

Choice tasks:

Prepare messages about the silkworm

Silk production

Insects listed in the Red Book.

V . Lesson summary and reflection.

Guys, you've done a great job.

I make my comment. And I propose to briefly answer the questions

What is your mood?

Please continue the sentence

It was interesting to me…

We figured it out today...

Today I realized that...

It was difficult for me...

Tomorrow I want to go to class...

Many species of highly developed insects (termites, bees, ants, wasps) live in complex communities. They have such a well-organized organization that sometimes they resemble a "superorganism" that is powered by a queen queen.

BIG FAMILIES

In numerous "states" of insects, which form termites, ants, some species of bees and wasps, each member of the community - the uterus, workers, soldiers and drones - performs its own, clearly regulated function. Such a division of labor is the main condition for the existence of the colony. Individuals of such a community are so dependent on each other that they can no longer exist independently. For example, worker termites are guarded by well-armed soldiers who are unable to survive without workers, since they cannot get food on their own and depend on workers to feed them. In turn, workers and soldiers are not able to reproduce. The function of reproduction lies on the uterus , around which the colony is formed. The queen lives inside the nest, she is fed by workers, and soldiers protect. All bees of one colony, and there may be about 80,000 of them, are descendants of one queen and older sisters to newborn individuals. They are all genetic twins, therefore have a highly developed social instinct.

FORMATION OF A COLONY

In autumn, with the onset of cold weather, all individuals of the wasp colony die, with the exception of fertilized queens. Shortly before the nest disappears, several sexually mature pairs appear in the colony of wasps, which fly away and mate. Males soon die, and females, feeling the approach of winter, hide in warm places. In the spring, the fertilized queens come out of their shelters and each of them builds a nest from wood treated with special enzymes, consisting of 10-12 hexagonal cells. Eggs are placed in these cells of the uterus. The queen queen feeds the larvae with gruel from semi-digested insects. The larvae grow rapidly and soon turn into sterile worker wasps. After the birth of workers, the queen no longer does any economic affairs, she only lays eggs, and the workers build new cells, take care of the eggs and grow larvae. social system some species of ants and termites are somewhat more difficult. Worker ants are divided into several castes, depending on the work they perform. Some, for example, have the task of spraying enemies with formic acid, that is, waging a kind of "chemical war", while others are delivering nectar to the warehouse. Termite larvae are miniature copies of adults. Soldiers develop from them, which have powerful jaws or a stinging apparatus that secretes a sticky substance that can become a trap for enemies.Termite workers and soldiers are wingless and blind individuals.

TYPES OF COMMUNICATION

In most insect species, with the exception of the breeding season, there is no need for communication. In social insects, on the contrary, communication between members of the colony is vital. Some species have developed a perfect system for transmitting information. Body language is often used for this. For example, honey bees, with the help of a special dance, very accurately inform their fellow tribesmen along the hive about the way to the place where, according to them, there is a source of nectar. Ants use a different method. Having found a significant source of food, they return to the anthill, leaving behind a persistent odorous trail. Other ants, following this path, also leave their odorous marks, which is a guide for the rest of the colony. Pheromones play a very important role in the life of all types of social insects. Hungry larvae secrete a special substance that is the signal "feed me". The uterus secretes its pheromones and thus sends its own signal to the workers, reminding them of their duties. At certain intervals, the workers exchange glandular secretions with the queen, and thus a close relationship is maintained between them A community of many insects that has lost a queen is doomed to death: insects do not know what to do, for example, workers stop working.Worker bees, left without a queen, can grow a new one: for this they build special cells and feed the larvae with special food.

termites

The social structure of termites is made up of three types of insects: the uterus (queen), soldiers and workers.
Uterus: lives in the center of the colony. She has a large body with hypertrophied ovaries (up to 10 cm long) that constantly produce eggs - many millions of eggs throughout her life. The winged male who fertilized the female dies. The queen lives for about 10 years.
soldiers: large and darker than workers, with large heads and extremely strong jaws. They guard and protect the colony from enemies.
workers: small, soft-bodied insects white color. They build a nest and maintain order in it. Unlike other social insects, worker termites come in both sexes.

Ants

Almost all ant species are social insects. They live in anthills.
Uterus: its only task is to take care of procreation, to lay eggs.
workers: wingless sterile males up to 30 mm long. They take care of the queen, larvae, build and repair the anthill. If the anthill is attacked by enemies and there is no one to "fight", then the workers defend the colony.
soldiers: Like workers, they are wingless and barren, but somewhat larger, with large heads and powerful jaws. Their task is to protect the anthill from enemies.

bees

Bees live in communities of up to 60,000 insects.
Uterus: the only one in the entire colony. The queen manages the hive and lays eggs. It has no organs to collect pollen, so workers feed it.
workers: collect pollen and nectar from flowers, feed juveniles, queen bee, drones and guard the colony. They build honeycombs, consisting of regular hexagonal cells, which are a storehouse for honey and an incubator for eggs. Worker bees communicate information to each other about food-rich places with the help of a special dance, accurately indicating the distance to them and the direction of flight.
Drones: their only purpose is the fertilization of the uterus. Drones are fed by worker bees. After mating, they die.

wasps

Some public views wasps live in large colonies. Unlike bees and termites, the nest is used only for one summer. In autumn, all wasps die out. Only fertilized founding females hibernate and build a new nest in spring. Wasp nests are built from cellulose - pieces of wood mixed with saliva.

Insects living in a single community: ants, wasps, bees and termites have always aroused special interest and surprise among people. This is reflected in numerous myths, legends and traditions. AT ancient Greek mythology Ants were the symbol of the goddess Demeter. And one of the most ancient images found in Europe turned out to be the Queen of the Hive. Social insects play a critical role in almost all terrestrial ecosystems. Wasps and most of the ants act as predators, termites, especially in tropical ecosystems, as the most important destroyers of plant residues, and social bees are pollinators of many wild and cultivated plants and manufacturers of medicinal products.
Hierarchical intra-family ties and complex structures of interaction between community members still attract the close attention of scientists. To solve a riddle collective mind Humanity has tried animals since ancient times, and judging by the fact that our ancestors used images of insects for the image of gods, it indicates that this secret was understood by them and actively used to control human communities.
What is the essence of this natural phenomenon? What is going on?

BEES - PUBLIC INSECTS. In the world of animals with Nikolai Drozdov. Video (00:04:59)

Nests of social insects: bees, wasps and ants. Video (00:45:14)

Lesson topic : Bees and ants are public insects. Beneficial insects, insect pests.Significance in nature and human life.

Lesson Objectives: reveal the structural features of the honey bee and ant in connection with the social way of life; talk about their role in nature and human life; reveal the diversity of insect pests, their negative role in human practical activity; indicate the importance of insects in nature and human life.

Equipment: insect collection,multimedia projector, presentation, handouts: tables, sheets of paper, felt-tip pens.

During the classes:

I. org. moment (1 min) II. Updating of basic knowledge(10 min) Test work with mutual verification.

Write down the test numbers, against each - correct options response

Option 1.

A. Dragonflies B. Orthoptera C. Bed bugs

1. Two pairs of wings.
2. The larva has a mask.

Option 2.

What features are characteristic of insects from the order

A. Butterflies B. Diptera C. Hymenoptera

1. Development since complete transformation.
2. Development with incomplete transformation.
3. Two pairs of wings.
4. One pair of wings, the second is reduced (halteres) and serves to stabilize the flight.
5. The first pair of wings are turned into rigid elytra, the second pair are leathery wings.
6. The forewings are denser than the hindwings.
7. The elytra are dense in front and soft behind; the second pair of wings is used for flight.
8. On the wings are small chitinous scales.
9. Mouth apparatus in adult insects of the sucking type.
10. Mouth apparatus licking type.
11. The mouthparts of adult insects are of the piercing-sucking type.
12. In larvae oral apparatus chewing type.
13. The hind legs of many representatives of the jumping type.
14. The larva has a mask.

Option 1. A: 2,3,14; B: 2, 3.7.12.13; B : 2,6,11

Option 2. A: 1.3.8.9.12 B: 1.4.10.11 C: 1.3

III. Activation cognitive activity . (2 minutes)

Most insects lead a solitary lifestyle, but there are insects that live in large groups. What are these insects? (bees, ants, termites) Such insects are called public and they live in families.

IV. learning new material(25min)

Teacher's story.

What do you think, which of these insects have long become human pets? (bees)

Where do bees live? (hive)

Honey and wax along with our furs ancestors - Slavs were considered the main objects of trade. Honey was used instead of sugar, wax was used in candles. In those days, there were no apiaries yet, and for bees, a person provided hollows of forest trees - “bortni” - beekeeping. At the same time, the hives often went bankrupt.

At the beginning of the 19th century, the Ukrainian landowner Petr Ivanovich Prokopovich first used the collapsible frame beehive he invented, which is still used today.

Let's look at what a bee family is.

Student message.The composition of the bee family. (presentation)

As the story progresses, students complete the table.

Students independently fill in the table for the ant family section, using the textbook pp. 135-136.

Table. The composition of the ant and bee families:

During the assignment, the teacher ensures that the whole class is involved in the work, approaches the students, monitors the progress of the assignment, and, if necessary, makes corrections.

After completing the task, the teacher asks the class questions:

• Did everyone complete the task?
• What difficulties arose during the task, what was not clear?

Bees and ants communicate with each other through touch and secretions. But only bees have a "language of dance." Video clip.

Do you think such complex behavior can be called reasonable? (No)

Their behavior is instinctive, unconscious.

Notebook entry. Instinct- a set of innate moments of behavior, fixed hereditarily and characteristic certain kind animals.

Apart from beneficial insects there are also pests of cultivated plants and vectors of human diseases.

The study of the material occurs in the course of the conversation. Students work with handouts: tables, insects.

Exercise : determine which order your insect belongs to and what harm it does to cultivated plants. Answer plan:

1. The name of the squad.

2. The name of the insect.

3. Signs of the detachment.

4. Meaning.

The negative value of insects for humans

Students write their answers in a notebook. Several students are asked. Ratings are given.

Additionally . What methods can be used to control harmful insects?

During the conversation, it turns out that the proposed options can be divided into four groups:

Methods of human struggle with harmful insects

V. Fixing the material.(4 min)

What insects did we meet today?

What are the characteristics of families?

What insects harm agricultural plants? Describe the life of some of them.

VI. Reflection. (1min) Draw your mood as a smiley.

VII. D/W Review topics in the arthropod section. Preparation for control work.

Appendix. The uterus is the largest bee in the hive, 18-20 mm in size. It has a long abdomen with an ovipositor designed for permanent egg laying. Cannot eat on its own. It is fed by worker bees with goiter milk. There is always only one in the family. The uterus develops from fertilized eggs. Lives up to 5 years. When another queen appears, the old one flies away with a part of the bees. This process is called swarming.

Drones are male, with long wings and large eyes. They develop from unfertilized eggs. Their task is to fertilize the uterus. Live for one season. In autumn they die, they are stinged by worker bees or simply kicked out of the hive.

Worker bees are sterile females. Workers - ensure the life of the whole family (collect food, care for the larvae, feed them, clean the hive, build honeycombs, harvest honey). To perform these functions, they have a number of devices:

• oral apparatus;
• Body covered with villi;
• honey goiter;
• Sting-modified ovipositor;
• Hind limbs with baskets and brushes.

In this article, we will analyze the behavior of bees and ants, their differences and similarities.

Somehow the phrase "social insects" suggests that they belong to society. But, in fact, such a name is obtained due to the structure and complexity of its behavior. What insects belong to this group, and how they differ, will be considered in this material.

What are social insects?

Who are insects, even a preschooler does not need an explanation. To make it clear who these social insects are, watch the ants. The most common forest red or black garden insects. Pay attention to how beautifully and harmoniously they move in their anthill.

• Therefore, we can note the first distinguishing feature of social insects - this is presence of families. They do not live alone, but only in large groups. Moreover, each of the representatives has its own role in such a community.
• Polyetism- this main feature social insects. In other words, it is a separation of duties.
• Second distinguishing feature- This presence of castes on sexual and reproductive functions. Social insects may have one queen (i.e., monogyny) or several breeding females ( polygyny). But this is reflected in the size of the masonry and size. Even working individuals are smaller in size from such queens.
  • At the head of social insects is mother or queen, on whose shoulders lies the responsibility for reproduction and offspring. The whole family with colonies is built around it.
  • And for protection there are special soldiers! These representatives do not have the opportunity to breed, but they have weapons. Namely, strong stings in bees or powerful jaws in termites and ants.
  • But someone has to feed them too. And this responsibility falls on the shoulders work force, which also cannot produce its own offspring. Incredibly, even working representatives are further divided into subspecies depending on the work.
• That is why these groups of insects are in close relationship with each other. If at least one puzzle falls out, then the other part of the picture is lost. After all, some insects protect, others feed, and still others take care of their offspring.

IMPORTANT: Different subspecies of even one species of insects can differ significantly in some rules.

• Housing– here is another difference. Yes, animals and insects are looking for a warm overnight stay for the winter. But only social insects build nests so complex and thought out to the smallest detail. And how they take care of their masonry!
• Such insects can communicate. No, they do not have their own language. In fact, it's a bit odd. More often use body language and its movements.
  • Bees can dance! But this is not just a desire to stretch, so they report the location of the nectar.
  • Ants use the sweet scent they leave along the way they need to. For example, after an edible find, an ant will leave such a trace to its anthill, informing these of its relatives.
• But the connection between the uterus and its subordinates is of the greatest value. This merit pheromones! In this structure, everything is insanely finely thought out. The fact is that this substance is secreted by the larvae. Thus, they communicate their hunger. But only the mother can hear them!
  • And only she tells her workforce to bring food supplies. Why, she gives clear instructions on what food is needed and in what quantity. Without the queen, the rest of the representatives will simply die, because they do not know what to do!
  • But there are also insects that have a chance to grow a new queen. True, this is a very painstaking and time-consuming process. New uterus requires special conditions cultivation, that is, it requires special cells. Yes, she is picky about food.

Now we can make a final and already substantiated conclusion about who the social insects are.

Public insects - these are those representatives who lead a public or social way of life. As can be seen from the above information, they step over the behavior of other insects and even compete well with upper classes animal kingdoms. That is, social insects can create societies. Therefore, the science that studies them is sociobiology.

Features of the complex behavior of social insects: description

In these insects, the development of the brain and nervous system. And this is naturally reflected in the behavior of social insects, distinguishing them from similar loners.

• Brain directly depends on the diversity and mobility of the life of the insect. That is, the more active it is, the more developed and larger the brain is. For example, working ants and productive representatives. The latter insects have a smaller brain size.
• Incredibly, social insects can distinguish shapes and colors! For example, the Australian ethologist Karl Frisch conducted experiments on bees. As a result, it was found that they land on bright colors.
• This aspect has not been fully studied, but insects may be far from their nest, but they will still find their way home. An experiment was carried out with bumblebees, which were placed in boxes at different distances from the house, they were necessarily marked with colored paint. By evening, all the insects were in place.
• They are not just remember the way home, but they also go out in search of, for example, nectar with a strictly thought-out plan of action. For example, a bee focuses not only on the relief shape and bright color but also on the quality of the smell.

IMPORTANT: To communicate with each other, social insects use a whole chain of stimuli - these are auditory and visual contacts, chemical, vibrational and tactile stimuli.

• These insects have memory and can transfer experience. For example, ants live 1.5-2.5 years, and for them it carries important value. Remember the cartoon "Luntik", ants always have a leader or commander!
  • They single out those individuals who have a good memory and rich experience in order to find a solution in case of incidents. That is what the leader does. They act strictly according to the laid route, but if an obstacle appears on the way, the activist will lead the rest after him, bypassing it.

• Moreover, such insects can even think logically and find solutions from difficult situations. An experiment was conducted (again on ants) when a small dose of radiation (up to 10 R/h) was delivered to their nest. This went on for 3 years. And to reduce the incoming dose, the ants built a covered road.
• In social insects, they form and develop faster conditioned reflexes. This is another confirmation of the development of their memory and ability to draw conclusions. They have such a divided and thoughtful work of each representative that it requires certain skills. And this indicates a good ability to learn.
  • They have a goal and are moving towards its fulfillment! They work so harmoniously with each other that they easily compete even with higher animals. Even a person can develop some skills for himself.
• They have incredible care of offspring. The womb devotes herself and her whole life to taking care of them. And in case of urgent need and a threat to offspring, she, without hesitation, will sacrifice herself.
  • Look even again at the anthill, they do not leave their cocoons close to the entrance, but lower them to other floors. If the house is in danger, they will be the first thing to endure it!

IMPORTANT: Social insects have a chain of complex reflexes that are responsible for their instinct.

• In addition to memory, the ability to memorize and think, as well as draw logical conclusions, among the species of even one family of insects, there are "stupid" and "smart" individuals.
• It is also worth highlighting such a quality of social insects as thriftiness. What ants, what bees make stocks of food.
• And that's not all, because they are able to share it among themselves. Yes, this is the result of organized work in the caste. But it is also a kind of concern for the surrounding family members.

Some illustrative examples.

Ants

• They are able to conclude "friendship pact". Their association with aphids is known. The ants protect it and provide some fresh shoots for them to feed on, as well as take care of the wintering grounds. But for this they collect their sweet excrement for their nourishment. It's kind of like cattle breeding.
• But there are ants who are engaged agriculture. For example, leaf cutters carry the spores of some fungi along with the leaf supply. They plant them in an anthill, and then eat them.
• But the tropical Amazon ants take into slavery other insects. More precisely, they steal their eggs or tiny individuals. And from these cubs they grow labor force. Similar behavior is observed in other species of ants. By the way, they can also attack neighboring anthills.
• And some species of ants, such as foragers, have pension. Yes, over time they turn from active representatives into passive observers. But on the other hand, they pass on the collected traditions and experience. young generation. And in case of devastation, pensioners are able to restore everything again.

wasps

• Polist wasps show interesting behavior during the rain. The fact is that their house is covered with aspen paper, through which drops of water pass. Therefore, insects absorb it, and then spit it out.
• But vestin wasps can heat up your clutch abdominal movements. They begin to dance as if performing a belly dance. And thus, the temperature can rise by a whole degree.

termites

• They can be called real. architects. Even though their work seems chaotic and uncoordinated, the result will please the eye. After all, their buildings have not only simple form, but can be in the form of arches, canopies or entire corridors. And do not forget that termites are completely blind, so their projects are carried out purely with the help of instincts.
• Some of their species are capable of self-destruction. If a worker is attacked, it can literally explode. In this case, the enemy will be attacked by sticky slime. It is not dangerous, but is distracting.

bees

• They surprise not only with their dance, but also with the presence of emotions. Even through dance moves, they are able to pinpoint exactly where the food supply is. And also show your character.
• And many of their working representatives die as a result of the defense of their colony. After all, they leave a sting in the body of the enemy, after which they die with him.

bumblebees

• Among these representatives there are "cuckoos". The fact is that these types of insects throw their eggs into another masonry. Of course, they choose other families of bumblebees, not an ant colony. Cuckoo insects do not have their own workers. Children, on the other hand, grow up in a “foster” family, along with other cubs on an equal footing.

How do social insects differ from solitary ones: comparison, similarities and differences

Based on the above material, one exact conclusion can already be drawn - solitary insects live separately, but public representatives - only big families. Similar characteristics include the extraction of food, the need for it, as well as the protection of the territory and their offspring. It should also be noted that other insects also use a sound signal or gestures to communicate during the mating season. It's just that social insects have all the characteristics slightly improved.

• But none of them can survive on their own. The role of each “member” of the family is so thought out and organized that it acts as the missing puzzle. And without it, the whole picture will not turn out. For example, bees build families of up to 60 thousand - 100 thousand individuals.
• And therefore, such a large community is able to build big house. For example, some anthills can reach several meters in depth (according to some sources, even up to 10 m). And what termite mounds are found in nature, that single ones cannot do this. The highest termite mounds reached 9 m.
• These houses increase the safety not only of adults, but of young and clutches. In solitary species, such care for offspring is not observed. In social insects, the future generation, as well as food supplies, generally come first.
• In that huge house, where every road, descent or honeycomb is thought out, temperature and humidity are also regulated. Again, all to maintain optimal conditions masonry. But only social insects can create such a microclimate due to their large numbers.

• Such a family can also attack large prey, and this will help to make a significant supply of food.
• Well-coordinated work helps social insects defend themselves from enemies. Single representatives are weaker in this matter.
• Well, the main difference is polymorphism. That is, the presence of a uterus that deals only with offspring. The queen is engaged only in masonry. Although, for example, in some species of termites, the uterus is not even able to move independently. This protects her as much as possible from any dangers, providing a high birth rate.

What insects can and cannot be classified as social?

It is easier to name those representatives who may belong to social insects. All the rest, if they do not have the above characteristics of social life, are referred to a number of single individuals.

• Ants- almost all of their species belong to social insects. They are of great benefit to the forest, protecting it from enemies. Characterized by large anthills, which consist of ground and underground parts
  • In the center is a wingless uterus (she loses her wings after the mating season) and spends her whole life only laying eggs.
  • Working representatives clean the masonry, the uterus and bring her food.
  • Soldiers stand out large sizes and powerful jaws, whose task is to protect the colony.
• bees have only one uterus that governs them. They don't have soldiers, but they do have drones who fertilize the uterus. After mating, they die. All work, including feeding the uterus, falls on the shoulders of the workers.
• wasps live only one summer. Only fertilized females remain overwintering. Housing is also used for only one year, Build it from wood and their own saliva.
• bumblebees have the same signs of social life. But it is worth highlighting that the sting can be not only in working individuals, but also in the uterus. By the way, it has no notches, so insects can use it repeatedly.
• termites live in termite mounds, and their family can number up to 1 million individuals. The uterus of this species can live up to 10 years, and workers differ in that they can be of both sexes. Their main task is order in the "house".

There are some characteristic features public behavior in the following insects:

• earwigs - they are characterized by the care of the female for offspring
• bedbugs that live in large families
• and even in aphids that come into contact with ants
• crickets and Japanese bugs bring food for their larvae
• thrips have the highest social degree of life. They also build families of up to almost 200 thousand individuals, lay paths with a characteristic smell and take care of their laying

IMPORTANT: Only ants are fully related to social group. All other insects belong to the class Hymenoptera. Because they are characterized by all the transitions from a solitary lifestyle to social behavior.

Video: Social insects: the secret of collective intelligence

Ants - social insects

Well, what are the ants - everyone has seen them. This is a separate family of Hymenoptera insects; in addition to ants, other very famous, well-known inhabitants of the earth, like bees and wasps, also enter the Hymenoptera order. And ants differ from bees and wasps primarily in that they have wingless workers. All bees, all wasps, they are winged, so to speak, almost all. Winged ants are only females and males before mating. Ants have three castes.

All of the listed insects are social insects, but with a small caveat: bees and wasps are both solitary and social. And all ants are exclusively social. There is not a single species among ants that would lead a solitary lifestyle. And there are actually more than ten thousand species of ants around the world.

What is sociality for insects? This means that they live in a permanent community, a long-term community, which we call a family, because it is a family by origin. And this family consists of three castes - these are females that lay eggs, that is, this is a reproductive individual, these are males that appear in the family for a very short time and after fertilization of females in most species, males die. They die naturally, their lives are over. But there are some species that have a slightly different system, but there are no such species in Russia, so we will focus on our domestic ants. The majority of the population is made up of workers. In principle, these are physiologically underdeveloped females that perform all the functions of building a nest, foraging for food, for defense, for feeding the brood, for caring for the female and larvae. That is, the entire life of the family is provided by working individuals. And when we talk about family organization, about the evolution of the social way of life in ants, this is primarily the development of relationships in the system of workers, which, as the family grows, begin to perform various functions and get the opportunity, firstly, to realize specialization , and secondly, they are able to perform a number of tasks that are simply impossible in small families. This is, for example, maintaining an active temperature in the nest.

Ants, in principle, by origin, they are all tropical and subtropical insects. And while they lived and live there, all the problems associated with maintaining the temperature are solved there in a natural way. True, there is a situation when they have to arrange ventilation in order to avoid overheating. But in our conditions, in a temperate climate, the situation is different. In order for ants to develop normally larvae, and ants are insects with complete transformation. That is, they first develop a larva separately, then it pupates, most of the species braid the pupa with a cocoon, and then an adult insect emerges from the pupa, which does not grow further and does not change morphologically throughout its adult life.

How long does an ant live?

Ants live a very long time. If we talk about the life of a worker, then a worker ant in our ordinary ants can live up to seven years. And an egg-laying female up to 20 years old is an absolute record in the world of insects. They live so long because they have a well-established social system. That high life expectancy, about which we care so much, they organized a long time ago.