Which of the following organisms is not a social insect?

Step 1: Analyze the question You are asked to find the organism that is not a social insect. So three options are social insects and one is not.

Step 2: Explain the concept Social insects live in organized colonies with:

• Division of labour (workers, soldiers, queen, drones, etc.)
• Caste systems, where each group has a specific role
• Cooperative care of the young and shared shelter

Step 3: Check each option

• A. Termites are social. They have a king, queen, workers and soldiers living in mounds.
• B. Ants are social. They have a queen, workers and soldiers living in colonies.
• C. Grasshoppers are not social. They live mostly as individuals, with no castes and no division of labour. They may gather in large numbers (locust swarms), but that is a swarming behaviour and not an organized society.
• D. Bees are social. They have a queen, drones and workers living in a hive.

Step 4: Answer Grasshoppers are the only organism listed that does not form an organized colony with castes.

Tip: Remember the main social insects with the mnemonic "TABW": Termites, Ants, Bees, Wasps. If an insect has castes like queen, workers and soldiers, it is social. Grasshoppers, cockroaches and butterflies are generally solitary.