The Sumner Lab

Insect Research Group, University College London

We are an evolutionary biology research group at University College London, using insects — mostly wasps — to understand how cooperation, conflict and complex societies evolve.

From the genomics of caste evolution to citizen science projects like the Big Wasp Survey, our work spans the lab bench, the field, and the public’s relationship with the insects most people love to hate.

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Trophallaxis: workers exchanging food, marked with paint dots to track individual behaviour within the colony.

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