Question

Mutual exchange of food in social insects is known as:

• A. Social Feeding
• B. Trophallaxis
• C. Preoral feeding
• D. Proctodaeal feeding

Hint:

Trophallaxis in honeybees distributes queen mandibular pheromone throughout the colony.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Trophallaxis:
Mouth
to
mouth or anus
to
mouth food transfer
Common in ants, bees, termites
Facilitates nutrient sharing and communication
Other terms:
Proctodeal feeding: Termite hindgut fluid transfer

Answer 2

Ruling out the distractor terms:
"Social feeding" is only a generic descriptive phrase, not a defined scientific term for food exchange.
"Preoral feeding" refers to digestion occurring outside the body before ingestion, as in some predatory arthropods, unrelated to sharing food between colony members.
"Proctodaeal feeding" is only one specific sub-type of exchange, anus-to-mouth, seen in termites, not the general phenomenon.
The umbrella term covering all forms of mutual food exchange, mouth-to-mouth as well as anus-to-mouth, among social insects such as ants, bees and termites is Trophallaxis.