We have no idea what's out there. The Universe could be over flowing with life for all we know to date. Or it could be that Earth-like planets are extremely rare jewels.
But insects here on Earth are the animals that truly dominate the planet, and I don't think most biologists would disagree. And they are highly efficient, not only in their physical structure, but in their behavior. Especially the social insects, ants, bees, termites, etc. So I don't see why a model similar to insects here couldn't happen similarly elsewhere, given the number of stars and planets in our Galaxy alone.
That's why I loved, relished, the original 'Alien' flick. It was so, well, alien, even though the drones were rather humanoid in their structure and locomotion. But not so much in the sequel with the Alien Queen. Given the vastness of the Universe, something existing at least similar to "Alien" is not only not out of the question, it's probable. (Nothing exactly like the 'Alien', mind you, just something similar, and just as horrific.)