spp. Milton, FL Dec. 26, 2008 Unlike many other colonial insects that will tolerate only one queen, Fire ants can have more than one reproductive female. Each queen can live 6 - 7 years and lay up to 1,500 eggs per day! This queen is probably leaving the nest to start a new colony.
Knoxville, TN House Mountain State Natural Area August 22, 2009 I photographed this insect on a sandstone outcropping at the western overlook of House Mountain. There must have been a nest nearby, we saw more than one. Fortunately, they were not aggressive and didn't bother us. I probably bothered them when I tried to get a photo as they quickly ran around on the rocks! I was interested to learn that these insects are not true hornets, they are related to Yellowjackets. These are the insects that build the large, gray paper nests that hang from tree limbs.
Sawflies are in the order Hymenoptera, they are related to bees, wasps, and ants. These larvae look a lot like butterfly caterpillars but they are not even remotely related. Sawfly larvae often congregate in large groups and raise their posterior ends as a defensive posture. The bright coloration of these may indicate that they are distasteful.
