Welcome to the site of the Laboratory of Socio-ecology and Social Evolution. The laboratory studies ants, bees and wasps, collectively known as the "social insects". Social insects are truly fascinating. They live in highly complex, well-organised societies, yet rely almost exclusively on chemical communication. How do they achieve this almost superorganismal level of cooperation? Social insects also present important evolutionary problems. The workers usually forego most of their own reproduction, and direct all their energy to helping their mother queen reproduce. How can such self-sacrificial behaviour evolve? And how are conflicts resolved among society members? These are among the questions that are being studied in our lab.