Social Biology of Wasps [Hardcover]

Kenneth G. Ross (Author), Robert W. Matthews (Editor)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 696 pages
• Publisher: Cornell Univ Pr (June 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801420350
• ISBN-13: 978-0801420351
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.5 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,713,353 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wasps don't get no respect, January 23, 2009

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J. A. Haverstick (Lancaster, PA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Social Biology of Wasps (Paperback)

There are lots of good books on bees and ants but not so many on wasps. This is a bunch of very good essays but if you buy it, be aware that is specific essays (check the contents) not one narrative and that it is a purely academic book.

5.0 out of 5 stars Learning about Wasps, September 13, 2010

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Joann Karges (Fort Worth, Texas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Social Biology of Wasps (Paperback)

Although this book is already over ten years old, it is essential reading for anyone studying wasps-- academically or otherwise. The contributed articles are written by noted authorities in their fields, most often on a taxon which they have researched for years in the field as well as in the literature. The coverage is of social wasps around the world and includes life histories, behavior,nesting architecture,etc. For the most part the writing is clear, careful, and sometimes lively. I strongly recommend the book.
Joann KargesThe Social Biology of Wasps

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Way over my head, June 6, 2010

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Ashtar Command "Seeker" (Stockholm, Sweden) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Social Biology of Wasps (Paperback)

"The Social Biology of Wasps" is a heavy, technical and scholarly anthology about hornets, yellowjackets and other social wasps.

It's not suited for the general reader.

Chapter headings include "The Function and Evolution of Exocrine Glands", "Population Genetic Structure, Relatedness, and Breeding Systems" and "Evolution of Social Behavior in Sphecid Wasps".

Way over my head, I'm afraid.

But then, I don't like wasps anyway...