Any of a large number of species of leaf and needle eating insect of the families Cimbicidæ (Cimbid Sawflies), Diprionidæ (Conifer Sawflies), and Tenthredinidæ (Common Sawflies). Not flies at all but relatives of the ants, bees, and wasps (Order Hymenoptera) they are most commonly encountered in the North Country in the larval (caterpillar) stage, feeding on the needles of Balsam Fir ( Abies balsamea), Spruce, and Pine.