Skip to main content

Up Next

Back to Show
Deep Look

Citrus Psyllids Bribe Ants With Strings Of Candy Poop

Season 9 Episode 17

Asian citrus psyllids transmit a disease that can ruin your oranges. Even worse, Argentine ants protect them in exchange for the psyllids' delicate ribbons of sugary poop, called honeydew. So, researchers are helping orange growers fight back with invisible lasers, ghastly wasps and more trickery.

Support Provided By
Season
Meet the Bug You Didn't Know You Were Eating
5:16
After cochineals die, their legacy lives on in the brilliant red hue produced by their hemolymph!
Watch Ferns Get Freaky
3:44
Those rows of orange cluster under a fern leaf are spores waiting to be catapulted away.
These Solar-Powered Carnivorous Flatworms Divide and Conquer
5:16
These tiny marine flatworms are smaller than a grain of rice but have amazing abilities!
That's Not Rain, That's Super-powered Pee!
3:57
Sharpshooters have super-propulsive urine using a catapult in their butt.
A Coral is Born
4:36
Corals create an underwater "snowstorm" by sending tiny white spheres up the water column.
Why Does This Fly Live in Your Bathroom?
3:58
Ever wonder how those tiny, jumpy flies got onto your bathroom wall?
Watch Jellyfish Go Through Their “Stack of Pancakes” Phase
4:38
Jellyfish clone themselves by morphing into a stack of squirming jellyfish pancakes.
Dog Ticks Are Changing Their Diet. You’re on the Menu
4:28
As temperatures rise, the brown dog tick is more likely to feast on you.
This Weevil Has Puppet Vibes But Drills Like a Power Tool
5:46
This fuzzy acorn weevil uses her snout to drill through an acorn's shell.
Varroa Mites Are a Honeybee's 8-Legged Nightmare
6:41
Beekeepers and scientists are helping honeybees fight off varroa mites.
Watch Ladybugs Go From Goth to Glam
5:14
Ladybugs may be the cutest insects around, but they don't start off that way.
Cockroach vs. Hydraulic Press: Who Wins?
3:57
Do cockroaches -- daring, disgusting disease vectors -- have anything at all to offer us?
Active loading indicator