Colony collapse, in the biological context of eusocial insects such as honey bees, denotes a process in which a previously functional colony undergoes rapid, systemic breakdown of social organization and demographic structure, leading to loss of adult worker populations, impaired brood care, and eventual colony death. This process involves disruption of normal behavioral and physiological roles (e.g., foraging, nursing, thermoregulation), breakdown of communication and division of labor, and failure to maintain colony homeostasis. Colony collapse can be characterized by asynchronous mortality across castes, reduced reproductive output, and compromised immune and stress-response pathways at the colony level, ultimately terminating the superorganism’s viability.
Several insect species, including ants, honeybees and termites, live in highly organized societies, also known as social insect colonies. Insects living in these colonies can take on different roles, such as reproducing, ...
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Evolution
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37
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Ecology
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Plants & Animals
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Plants & Animals
Dec 4, 2025
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Ecology
Sep 30, 2025
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56
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Cell & Microbiology
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Ecology
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