Kin Recognition in Social Insects

The chemical organization among social insects is unique. All activities within colonies of social insects seem to depend to some degree on the emission of chemical signals. Thus chemicals released by social insects are involved in sex attraction, reproductive isolation, recruitment, nest defense, nest building, predation, territoriality, kin recognition and many other aspects of their life. 

According to Wilson (417), truly social insects or eusocial insects can be distinguished as a group from other insects by common possession of three traits  

1) Individuals of the same species cooperate in caring for the young. 

2) There is a reproductive division of labor, with more or less sterile individuals working on behalf of fertile individuals. 

3) There is an overlap of at least two generations in life stages capable of contributing to colony labor, so that offspring assist their parents during some period of life. 

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