Abstract
Social insects -- ants, bees, wasps, and termites -- have evolved among the most sophisticated non-human
communication systems on Earth, integrating chemical, vibrational, tactile, and visual modalities to coordinate
colony-level behaviour across thousands to millions of individuals. This study conducted a cross-taxon behavioural
analysis of communication systems in six social insect species: Apis mellifera, Bombus terrestris, Formica rufa, Atta
sexdens, Nasutitermes corniger, and Vespula germanica. Observations were conducted across 48 laboratory colonies
and 12 field sites in Switzerland, Italy, and Spain over 18 months (2024-2025), generating 6,214 focal animal
observations and 2,847 pheromone trail assays. Waggle dance decoding, pheromone chromatography (GC-MS),
substrate-borne vibrometry, and automated tracking (CTRAX) were employed to quantify signal production, receiver
response latency, and information transfer accuracy. Recruitment efficiency differed significantly among species
(Kruskal-Wallis H = 34.7, p < 0.001), with A. mellifera waggle dances achieving the highest directional accuracy (mean
vector error 4.2 +- 1.1deg) and F. rufa trail pheromones yielding the fastest forager recruitment (mean latency 38 +- 6 s).
Chemical signal complexity, measured as the number of chromatographically resolved compounds per signal blend,
correlated positively with colony size (r = 0.84, p < 0.001). Vibrational communication was detected in all six species and
functioned as a modulatory channel superimposed on primary chemical or visual signals. These findings establish a
comparative framework for understanding the evolution of multimodal communication in eusocial insects and have direct
implications for pollinator management and invasive species monitoring.