Ants and bees. Between the French and the Darwinian Revolution

Abstract

ABSTRACT. An entire chapter of On the Origin of Species is devoted to instincts. Two examples are borrowed from the study of the social insects: “the slave-making instinct of certain ants ” and “the comb-making power of the hive- bee.” One of Darwin’s main references is the work of the Swiss entomologist Pierre Huber, son and collaborator of François Huber. This is an invitation to read the French-speaking literature concerning social insects within the fifty years preceding the publication of the Origin of Species. The most frequent themes are: the difference in scale between the world of insects and our own, the achievement of architecture, the destiny of the drones, the strong inequality between the queen and the workers. The most controversial issue is slave-mak-ing in ant colonies. The historian Michelet is depressed to see nature giving such bad example of injustice. Everybody agrees that social insects are a fascinating part of the display of nature, but authors differ on the meaning of such display.

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