UNLIKELY SPINNERS
Bees, ants and beetles also produce fibrin during their larval stages. Honey bees (Apis mellifera) produce silk to reinforce the wax cells within the hive while they pupate into adults, while red bull ants (Myrmecia gulosa) also use their silk to spin protective cocoons during their development. Weaver ants (Oecophylla smaragdina) have found a use for their silk not only during their larvae phase, but as adults. As tree-dwelling insects, these ants nest between leaves. To create a protective nest, adult ants will take silk produced from the larvae and use it as a sticky thread to bind leaves and construct a nest.