The Giant Horntail is a massive type of sawfly. Sawfles are relatives of Wasps, Bees and Ants. The Horntail and many other Sawflies are unmistakeable insects if seen (they have the familiar yellow and black colouring of stinging Wasps and Bees). However, Sawflies can look frightening because the females have a long 'sting' sticking out of their abdomens (rear sections). However this spike is not a stinger. Unlike some Wasps, Bees and Ants, Sawflies are incapable of stinging. Instead, the spike, known as an ovipositor, is a tube through which she lays her eggs. A Sawfly's ovipositor often resembles a saw-blade, which the Sawfly uses to drill holes deep into the wood. The eggs are laid in the wood, especially pine. The larvae live in the wood of pine trees, where they spend up to two years or possibly more developing.
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