Evolutionary algorithms provide an off-the-shelf set of meta-heuristic techniques that can be used to solve complex, constrained and non-linear problems, including traditional optimization ones, such as models for scheduling and routing in wireless networks. In this colloquium, we will show technical details on how a basic evolutionary algorithm can be tailored to suit network optimization problems. Further, we will quickly review advanced evolutionary algorithms topics, such as co-evolution, constraint handling and multi-objective optimization, and provide some hints on how these techniques may be used to perform scalable, distributed and robust network problem solving.