Which insect order is commonly characterized by eusocial colonies with queens and sterile workers?

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Multiple Choice

Which insect order is commonly characterized by eusocial colonies with queens and sterile workers?

Eusociality means cooperative care of the young, overlapping generations, and a division of labor where a reproductive queen is complemented by workers that are typically sterile. Among insects, this highly organized social system is most strongly associated with Hymenoptera—ants, bees, and many wasps. In these colonies the queen lays eggs while the workers, usually sterile females, perform tasks such as foraging, nest defense, and brood care. The other orders listed—Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), Diptera (flies), and Coleoptera (beetles)—are predominantly solitary or lack such pronounced eusocial colony structure. So, Hymenoptera is the group most commonly characterized by eusocial colonies with queens and sterile workers.

Eusociality means cooperative care of the young, overlapping generations, and a division of labor where a reproductive queen is complemented by workers that are typically sterile. Among insects, this highly organized social system is most strongly associated with Hymenoptera—ants, bees, and many wasps. In these colonies the queen lays eggs while the workers, usually sterile females, perform tasks such as foraging, nest defense, and brood care. The other orders listed—Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), Diptera (flies), and Coleoptera (beetles)—are predominantly solitary or lack such pronounced eusocial colony structure. So, Hymenoptera is the group most commonly characterized by eusocial colonies with queens and sterile workers.

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