Honesty of Larval Begging Signals Covaries With Colony Kin Structure in Formica Ants

Social insects live in highly complex societies with efficient communication systems. Begging is one display commonly used by offspring to signal their nutritional state, however begging behavior has received very little attention in social insects. Theory predicts that begging can be either an honest (i.e. honest-signaling strategy) or a dishonest (i.e. scrambling competition) signal of need, with dishonest signals expected to be more likely...