Natural History and Evolution of Paper-Wasps

Description:

The diversity of social behaviour among birds and primates is surpassed only by members of the Hymenopteran insects (bees, andts, and wasps). The paper-wasps are a large and varied group, and have been studied extensively by a wide range of biologists interested in the evolution of sociality. This book comprises an in-depth survey of most major areas of research on the paper-wasps - from syntheses of taxonomy and phylogeny, natural history (nesting behaviour, social organization, orientation, and natural enemies)_ to topics of general theoretical interest such as the evolution of cooperation, social parasitism, kin recognition, and the division of labour.