The eggs are usually laid on foliage, and each egg is laid at the end of a tiny stalk. These insects undergo complete metamorphosis. The larvae pupate in silken cocoons that are generally attached to the underside of leaves. This ugly bug is a carpenter ant, some of which are the largest ants in North America. Ants belong to the Order - Hymenoptera, which includes some the most beneficial insects to mankind.
Ants are social insects, and most colonies contain three castes - queens, males, and workers.
This is a worker ant. The workers are sterile wingless females and make up the bulk of the colony. These females do not sting, but most ants will bite if disturbed. Unlike termites, carpenter ants do not feed on the wood, but live in old rotting logs in which they chew tunnels. Some of the ants in this family, Formicidae, other than carpenter ants, are slave-makers and are entirely dependent on slaves.