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
This Daring Fly Swims in a Shimmering Bubble Shield
5:42
Covered in a shiny bubble, the alkali fly scuba dives in California's Mono Lake.
This Fly Torpedoes a Bindweed Bee's Nest
4:58
A “bee fly” is a freeloader that takes advantage of a bindweed turret bee’s hard work.
This Snail Goes Fishing With a Net Made of Slime
4:05
The scaled wormsnail cements its shell to a rock and snags its meals using mucus!
Springtails Do Their Own Stunts
4:04
Step right up to see tiny springtails spin through the air with the greatest of ease!
Gecko Grip: It’s Atomic (Really)
3:44
Geckos navigate nearly any surface with an electron dance at the atomic scale.
The Twisted Truth About Snake Tongues
4:31
The snake's forked tongue helps it smell in stereo.
This Mushroom Can Fly
3:22
Bird’s nest fungi look just like a tiny bird's nest. But those little eggs have no yolks.
Toad Tongues Slay With Seriously Sticky Spit
3:36
How are frogs so amazing at catching bugs? It’s their supersoft tongue and special spit.
How Does the Mussel Grow its Beard?
4:00
Mussels create byssal threads to attach themselves to rocks and each other.
Earthworm Love is Cuddly ... and Complicated
4:10
Earthworms cozy up with a mate inside tubes of slime to make cocoons full of baby worms.
Have You Met a Hagfish? It’s About Slime.
3:52
What keeps the boneless, jawless hagfish thriving after more than 300 million years? SLIME
How Hoverflies Spawn Maggots that Sweeten Your Oranges
4:20
As they gorge, oblique streaktail hoverflies help keep orange trees safe from disease.
Active loading indicator