Fig 1.
A summary of the diversity of defecation behaviors found among eusocial [ants (1), termites (2), and bees (3)], subsocial [earwigs (4), bark and ambrosia beetles (5), passalid beetles (6), and wood roaches (7)], and solitary insects [caterpillars (8), longhorn beetles (9), and leaf beetle larvae (10)].
Not all the behaviors are necessarily found in a given species within each group. Most insect species minimize pathogen risk by reducing their exposure to feces, but several social insects that are forced to live in close proximity to feces instead do so by minimizing the pathogen growth in feces. The presence of antimicrobial compounds in insect feces appears to have enabled the evolution of behaviors in insects that require an intimate contact with feces, such as its use in nest building, the use of fecal shields to avert predators.