Back to Show
Deep Look
Honeypot Ants Turn Their Biggest Sisters Into Jugs of Nectar
Season 9
Episode 5
Deep in their underground nests, honeypot ants stuff members of their own colony until they look like golden water balloons. Drop by drop, worker ants deliver nectar and other liquid food into their largest sisters’ mouths. When food is scarce in the desert, the colony will feed from these living storage tanks, known as repletes.
Support Provided By
5:24
Ever wanted to be invisible? The elusive glasswing butterfly knows just how to do it.
5:16
Sharpshooter insects transmit a devastating disease that kills grapevines.
4:46
The California floater mussel does a surprising amount of travel - for a bivalve.
4:20
The Aedes aegypti mosquito makes a meal of us around our homes.
3:50
Indian walking sticks are more than just twig impersonators.
4:32
These little "itch hikers" make an amazing leap 100 times faster than the blink of an eye.
4:06
Kangaroo rats have exceptional hearing and powerful hind legs.
4:39
Female webspinners shoot super-fine silk from their front feet.