Original air date: 30 November 2005
Below is a more detailed look at the outline the contents of this programme
Selected sequences
Getting rid of unwanted sugar – and another one reaping the reward (28’45-29’30)
A lantern bug sucking protein from sap of droplets that it can obtain from a tree. Most of the droplets is sugar, that it doesn’t want. To get rid of the sugar it sends it far (white arrow top left). On the right the droplet is farther away from the moth. For this purpose it uses a ‘spatula’ on its rear (bottom left). Another moth drinks this excessive sugar (bottom right) before it is discarded.
Marking flowers the moth has visited
By marking each flower, presumably with UV camera tech, it has been shown that the moth never visits the same flower of the buddleja bush twice. Would be a waste of energy (31′).
The queen bumble bee
The queen bumble bee, being very big, has to fight warm up very fast if she wants to get to the air early. She has a special way of warming up: putting her wings ‘out of gear’ so they can warm up the muscles without moving them. At the start the UV camera shows her as being as cold as the air around but right snapshot shows the body absolutely glowing. The air temperature is still just slightly above freezing, too cold for most insects, she has got a head start.