The Social Biology of Ropalidia marginata

“This is a wonderful book about a detailed investigation of a single species of social wasp. Raghavendra Gadagkar and his colleagues have carried out a thorough study of Ropalidia marginata Lepeletier and developed ideas about the origins and maintenance of eusociality, currently topics of great interest… I have read [this book] twice from cover to cover completely captivated by the detailed studies on this social wasp. I have no hesitation in strongly recommending this book.”—M. E. Archer, Entomologist’s Monthly Magazine

“This is a very readable introduction to facts and concepts by a leading authority on social wasps who has a deep understanding of evolutionary principles. Using entertaining anecdotes to illustrate important observations, Gadagkar expertly summarizes the remarkable studies he and his students conducted over a period of more than twenty years. A major accomplishment.”—Mary Jane West-Eberhard, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute