Background Social insects, such as honey bees, use molecular, physiological and
behavioral responses to combat pathogens and parasites. The honey bee genome contains …

Background Immune response pathways have been relatively well-conserved across animal
species, with similar systems in both mammals and invertebrates. Interestingly, honey bees …

Social organisms combat pathogens through individual innate immune responses or
through social immunity—behaviors among individuals that limit pathogen transmission …

Recently, evidence has shown that variations in the cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) profile
allow healthy honeybees to identify diseased nestmates, eliciting agonistic responses in the …

Social context is often a primary regulator of social behavior, but genes that affect or are
affected by social context have rarely been investigated. In social insects, caste specific …

Background Organisms typically face infection by diverse pathogens, and hosts are thought
to have developed specific responses to each type of pathogen they encounter. The advent …

The biology of honey bees involves a host of developmental, behavioral, and physiological
components that allow thousands of individual bees to form complex social units. Fueled by …

Background Disease is a major factor driving the evolution of many organisms. In honey
bees, selection for social behavioral responses is the primary adaptive process facilitating …

Honeybees have evolved a social immunity consisting of the cooperation of individuals to
decrease disease in the hive. We identified a set of genes involved in this social immunity by …

Pollinators, including honey bees, routinely encounter potentially harmful microorganisms
and phytochemicals during foraging. However, the mechanisms by which honey bees …