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The Wild Pest
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Cooperative bugs

Every species in the Wild Files corpus where cooperative is a defining trait.

37 on file

On File
Eciton burchellii army ants forming a living bridge across a gap on a Panamanian forest floor.
Outlaw
Six Legs81
Alias
Eciton burchellii

Eciton Army Ant

Builds bridges out of itself. Raids 200,000 strong. Comes with its own bird entourage.

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On File
An Asian giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia) on a leaf, showing the distinctive orange-and-black thorax and large mandibles.
Apex Outlaw
Six Legs86
Alias
Vespa mandarinia

Asian Giant Hornet

Slaughters whole bee colonies in hours. Wears a sting that breaks down flesh.

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On File
A column of African driver ants (Dorylus wilverthi) crossing a forest floor, soldiers visible at the column edges.
Outlaw
Six Legs82
Alias
Dorylus wilverthi

African Driver Ant

22 million workers per colony. Raid in columns kilometers long. Clean a house in hours.

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On File
Red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta), reddish-brown body, on disturbed soil.
Outlaw
Six Legs90
Alias
Solenopsis invicta

Red Imported Fire Ant

Builds living rafts during floods. Floats for weeks. Costs the US $6 billion a year.

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On File
A western honey bee (Apis mellifera) collecting nectar from a yellow flower, pollen baskets visible.
Beneficial
Six Legs78
Alias
Apis mellifera

Western Honey Bee

Pollinates a third of your food. Dances in code. Vote on where to live by quorum.

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On File
Honeypot ant repletes (Myrmecocystus mexicanus) hanging from the ceiling of an underground chamber, abdomens swollen with nectar.
Curious
Six Legs79
Alias
Myrmecocystus mexicanus

Honeypot Ant

Living food jars. Worker ants hang from the ceiling, swollen with nectar. Eaten as candy.

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On File
A leafcutter ant carrying a green leaf fragment along a forest trail.
Curious
Six Legs81
Alias
Atta cephalotes

Leafcutter Ant

Run the world’s oldest farms. Domesticated a fungus 50 million years ago. Excellent at chemistry.

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On File
A Macrotermes termite mound on the African savanna, with characteristic chimney and fluted walls.
Curious
Six Legs81
Alias
Macrotermes bellicosus

African Mound-Building Termite

Builds 9-meter air-conditioned towers. Farms fungus inside. Queen lays 30,000 eggs a day for 50 years.

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On File
Weaver ants (Oecophylla smaragdina), green-amber bodies, in a chain pulling leaves together to form a nest.
Curious
Six Legs86
Alias
Oecophylla smaragdina

Asian Weaver Ant

Builds nests using their own larvae as living glue guns. Used as pesticide for 1,500 years.

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On File
An American burying beetle (Nicrophorus americanus), black body with bright orange-red markings on the elytra and pronotum.
Curious
Six Legs80
Alias
Nicrophorus americanus

American Burying Beetle

Both parents stay home. Bury a mouse together. Feed the kids by mouth.

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On File
A compass termite mound (Amitermes meridionalis) in northern Australia, wedge-shaped with the long axis oriented north-south.
Curious
Six Legs82
Alias
Amitermes meridionalis

Compass Termite

Builds termite mounds aligned to true magnetic north. Uses Earth's magnetic field.

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On File
An Argentine ant (Linepithema humile), small light-brown body, single-node waist.
Outlaw
Six Legs87
Alias
Linepithema humile

Argentine Ant

One global super-colony. Ants from Italy and Portugal recognize each other as family.

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On File
An Asian honey bee (Apis cerana), fuzzy black-and-yellow striped body, smaller than Western honey bee.
Beneficial
Six Legs81
Alias
Apis cerana

Asian Honey Bee

The bee that cooks giant hornets alive. Tolerates varroa. Speaks waggle-dance with a Japanese accent.

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On File
A mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae), small dark cylindrical beetle on the bark of a pine tree.
Apex Outlaw
Six Legs78
Alias
Dendroctonus ponderosae

Mountain Pine Beetle

Killed 18 million hectares of pine forest since 2000. The largest insect-driven forest disaster in history.

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On File
Giant Asian honey bees (Apis dorsata) on a massive single-comb open-air hive suspended from a cliff overhang or tree branch, large golden-brown bees with darker abdominal bands clustered on the visible comb surface.
Outlaw
Six Legs92
Alias
Apis dorsata

Giant Asian Honey Bee

LARGEST HONEY BEE in the world. MASSIVE single-comb open hives. SHIMMERING WAVE DEFENSE.

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On File
An oak apple gall (induced by Amphibolips confluenta), large spongy 3-5 cm diameter spherical growth on an oak leaf with smooth tan-to-pinkish exterior, attached to oak twig.
Curious
Six Legs85
Alias
Amphibolips confluenta

Oak Apple Gall Wasp

Wasp HIJACKS oak DNA to grow GOLF-BALL-SIZED protective galls around her developing larvae.

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On File
A drugstore beetle (Stegobium paniceum), small dark reddish-brown oval beetle with fine longitudinal ridges on the elytra and short clubbed antennae, six legs, top view.
Outlaw
Six Legs81
Alias
Stegobium paniceum

Drugstore Beetle

Most polyphagous stored-product pest. Eats DRUGS — strychnine, belladonna, other plant alkaloids without harm.

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On File
A small carpenter bee (Ceratina dupla), tiny shiny dark-blue or dark-green metallic bee with reduced hairiness, six legs, side profile.
Beneficial
Six Legs78
Alias
Ceratina dupla

Small Carpenter Bee

TINY shiny METALLIC blue/green carpenter bee. Nests in HOLLOW STEMS. Provides maternal care to developing larvae.

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On File
A yellow meadow ant (Lasius flavus), small pale yellow ant with reduced eyes, six legs, top view.
Beneficial
Six Legs76
Alias
Lasius flavus

Yellow Meadow Ant

Lives ENTIRELY UNDERGROUND. Workers are BLIND. Farms ROOT APHIDS inside underground galleries.

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On File
A bullhorn acacia ant (Pseudomyrmex ferruginea), slender reddish-brown ant with long thin legs and large eyes, six legs, top view.
Beneficial
Six Legs81
Alias
Pseudomyrmex ferruginea

Bullhorn Acacia Ant

Foundational PLANT-ANT MUTUALISM. Lives in hollow thorns of acacia. Aggressively defends tree from herbivores.

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On File
A conehead termite soldier (Nasutitermes corniger), small dark termite with sharp conical head and specialized nose-like nasus projection, six legs, top view.
Outlaw
Six Legs88
Alias
Nasutitermes corniger

Conehead Termite

Soldier with CONE-SHAPED HEAD that sprays STICKY DEFENSIVE GLUE. Invaded south Florida in 2001.

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On File
A Pacific dampwood termite (Zootermopsis angusticollis) soldier, large brown termite with massive elongated mandibles, six legs, top view.
Outlaw
Six Legs81
Alias
Zootermopsis angusticollis

Pacific Dampwood Termite

LARGEST termite in North America. Pacific Northwest. Ancient lineage with pseudergate worker biology.

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On File
A striped earwig (Labidura riparia), large tan-yellow earwig with two dark longitudinal stripes down the dorsal surface and prominent forward-curving forceps at the rear, six legs, top view.
Beneficial
Six Legs77
Alias
Labidura riparia

Striped Earwig

Largest NA earwig. Major beneficial predator of crop pests. Females provide GUARDED MATERNAL CARE.

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On File
A patent leather beetle (Odontotaenius disjunctus), large shiny jet-black beetle with small upward-curving cephalic horn and grooved elytra, six legs, top view.
Beneficial
Six Legs80
Alias
Odontotaenius disjunctus

Patent Leather Beetle (Bess Beetle)

EUSOCIAL-LIKE beetle. Adults and larvae live in family groups inside decaying logs. 14+ stridulation calls.

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On File
A European pine sawfly (Diprion pini), stout broad sawfly without the narrow wasp waist of stinging Hymenoptera, six legs, side profile.
Outlaw
Six Legs80
Alias
Diprion pini

European Pine Sawfly

Major European pine forest pest. Larvae perform synchronous 'whip' defensive displays with toxic resin droplets.

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On File
A coffee berry borer (Hypothenemus hampei), tiny dark brown bark beetle with short cylindrical body and short antennae, six legs, side profile.
Outlaw
Six Legs85
Alias
Hypothenemus hampei

Coffee Berry Borer

Single most damaging pest of COFFEE worldwide. $500M-$1B annual losses. Detoxifies CAFFEINE with gut microbes.

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On File
A female Sirex woodwasp (Sirex noctilio), large dark blue-black solitary wasp with metallic sheen, smoky brown wings, and prominent cylindrical ovipositor at the rear, six legs, side profile.
Outlaw
Six Legs89
Alias
Sirex noctilio

Sirex Woodwasp

Injects FUNGAL SPORES into pine trees with eggs. Fungus digests wood for the larva. Major invasive pine pest globally.

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On File
A dark fishing spider (Dolomedes tenebrosus), large brown-and-black spider with intricate camouflage markings on the dorsal abdomen and banded legs, eight legs, top view.
Outlaw
Six Legs76
Alias
Dolomedes tenebrosus

Dark Fishing Spider

Largest house-invading spider in eastern NA. 9 cm leg span. Looks terrifying but harmless.

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On File
A European beewolf (Philanthus triangulum), yellow-and-black banded solitary digger wasp resembling a small yellowjacket, six legs, side profile.
Outlaw
Six Legs85
Alias
Philanthus triangulum

European Beewolf

Solitary wasp that EXCLUSIVELY hunts HONEY BEES. Cultivates antibiotic-producing bacteria in antennal glands.

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On File
A nursery web spider (Pisaurina mira), tan-brown spider with darker longitudinal band running down the dorsal abdomen, eight legs, top view.
Beneficial
Six Legs75
Alias
Pisaurina mira

Nursery Web Spider

Males offer FOOD GIFTS to females during mating. Females build NURSERY WEBS for hatching spiderlings.

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On File
A Carolina wolf spider (Hogna carolinensis), large brown wolf spider with darker markings on the body and legs, eight legs, top view.
Outlaw
Six Legs79
Alias
Hogna carolinensis

Carolina Wolf Spider

LARGEST wolf spider in NA. State spider of SC. Mothers carry dozens of spiderlings on her back.

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On File
A spring azure butterfly (Celastrina ladon), small bright sky-blue butterfly with pale blue-gray undersides marked by small dark spots, side profile.
Beneficial
Six Legs71
Alias
Celastrina ladon

Spring Azure

Bright sky-blue 'blue' butterfly. Emerges in EARLY spring. Larvae tended by ants for sweet secretions.

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On File
A Texas leafcutter ant (Atta texana) worker carrying a cut green leaf fragment in her mandibles, six legs, side profile.
Outlaw
Six Legs86
Alias
Atta texana

Texas Leafcutter Ant

US leafcutter ant. 1-2 million workers per colony. Excavates 8m-deep underground fungus farms.

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On File
A male common blue butterfly (Polyommatus icarus), small butterfly with brilliant iridescent sky-blue wings and thin black borders, dorsal view.
Beneficial
Six Legs76
Alias
Polyommatus icarus

Common Blue Butterfly

Brilliant sky-blue. 75% of her family lives in mutualism with ants. Caterpillar feeds ants honeydew.

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On File
A yucca moth (Tegeticula yuccasella), small white moth with brown antennae, six legs, perched on a yucca flower stamen.
Beneficial
Six Legs82
Alias
Tegeticula yuccasella

Yucca Moth

Sole pollinator of yucca. Actively packs pollen into the flower like a tiny farmer. Obligate mutualism.

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On File
An acacia ant (Pseudomyrmex ferruginea), small reddish-brown ant with elongated body, six legs, on a green acacia leaflet near a swollen thorn entrance.
Beneficial
Six Legs80
Alias
Pseudomyrmex ferruginea

Acacia Ant

Lives inside hollow acacia thorns, drinks Beltian-body sap, attacks anything that touches the tree.

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On File
A Brazilian treehopper (Bocydium globulare), small dark green-brown body with three pairs of stalked black globular structures arranged like alien antennae over the head.
Curious
Six Legs83
Alias
Bocydium globulare

Brazilian Treehopper

Wears alien-helicopter rotors on her head. Function still unknown. The most bizarre insect ornament in the world.

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