What I learn by observing insects

The life of a single individual seldom matters – large population shifts do count. Innate behavior only goes so far – to successfully deal with changing environments, some learning is necessary. Social learning enables novel behaviors to become common. Learning capacity and fitness correlate: healthy insects can devote more resources to information acquisition; stressed-out ones tend to focus on survival. Environmental stress can shift behavior patterns in unforeseen ways. Imprinting goes deeper than we imagine. There are four main commands among insects: forage, feed, fornicate, and fight. Is our species actually so different? Each smell tells a story: images can be deceiving, but scents are harder to fake. When ordinary instruction fails, a waggle dance sometimes suffices.