top of page

THE
INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR THE STUDY OF

SOCIAL INSECTS

Books by IUSSI members

Alongside our journal Insectes Sociaux, IUSSI members publish a large number of books and papers in social insect biology. Here, we spotlight recent books by IUSSI members.

We will be adding books to this page. If you are an IUSSI member and would like your book to be included, please get in touch.

IUSSI publications

61AW6uowrBL._AC_UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg

Encyclopedia of Social Insects

Edited by Christopher K. Starr

A comprehensive, multi-author treatise on the social insects of the world, with some auxiliary attention to such adjacent topics as subsocial insects and social arachnids. The work is to serve as a very convenient, yet authoritative reference work on the biology and systematics of social insects of the world. This is a project of the International Union for the Study of Social Insects (IUSSI).

 

Recent books by IUSSI members

image.png

Stingless Bees: Their Behaviour, Ecology, and Evolution

​

image.png

Christoph Grüter

Associate Professor in Animal Behaviour and Ecology, University of Bristol

  • The most extensive review of stingless bee biology in decades

  • Several chapters summarize recent findings on the unique lifestyle of stingless bees

  • Discusses how stingless bees are affected by human-induced environmental change and pesticides

 

image.png

Endless Forms: Why We Should Love Wasps

image.png

Seirian Sumner

Professor of Behavioural Ecology, University College London

"A funny and beautifully written welcome to the enigmatic, weird and wonderful world of wasps." DAVE GOULSON, author of SILENT EARTH

 

image.png

Combattre, Sauver, Soigner: Une Histoire de Fourmis

image.png

Erik Frank

University of Würzburg

An autobiographical account of Erik Frank’s transformative journey as a PhD student in Germany, conducting his research in the heart of West Africa's Comoé National Park, Ivory Coast. The book chronicles his time spent in an isolated research station, where he immersed himself in studying the remarkable, complex raiding and rescue behaviours of the termite-hunting ant Megaponera analis.​

 

image.png

Domains and Major Transitions of Social Evolution

image.png

Koos Boomsma

Professor, Section for Ecology and Evolution, University of Copenhagen

  • Presents novel analysis of the major transitions in life's organization

  • Extends inclusive fitness theory by separating open societies from closed organisms

  • Champions a strict distinction between genetic information and environmental effects

  • Offers fascinating new perspectives on human social evolution

 

image.png

Empire of Ants

image.png

Susanne Foitzik with Olaf Fritsche

​Professor in Evolutionary Biology,

Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz

  • They are fascinating – and they are everywhere: they have developed their own forms of division of labour, communication and self-organisation.

  • Together with biophysicist Olaf Fritsche, IUSSI member and evolutionary biologist Susanne Foitzik entertainingly recounts everything you need to know about ants. After reading this book, you will see ants in a whole new light.

 

image.png

Army Ants: Nature's Ultimate Social Hunters

image.png

Daniel Kronauer

Stanley S. and Sydney R. Shuman Professor, Rockefeller University

  • A richly illustrated, captivating study of army ants, nature’s preeminent social hunters.

 

Secretary-General Prof. Mark Brown (Royal Holloway, University of London)

President Prof. Judith Korb (University of Freiburg)

Editor-in-Chief, Insectes Sociaux Prof. Madeleine Beekman (University of Sydney)

Ideas or feedback?

For ideas or suggestions about the new IUSSI website, or to update information about your IUSSI section, please get in touch.

The IUSSI is a 501(c)(3) scientific society committed to advancing the study of social insects through rigorous, evidence-based research. We remain nonpartisan, do not endorse political candidates or agendas, and uphold scientific integrity. The IUSSI was registered as a charity (not-for-profit organization) with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, constituted in the state of Ohio, in August 2012. The registration letter can be viewed or downloaded as a PDF document on the 'About Us' page.

bottom of page