BBC Life On Earth Disc 1: The Swarming Hordes (1979)

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A six-legged body with a hard covering proved to be a very adaptable pattern.It enabled insects not only to crawl and hop but to fly. Such creatures could not, however, grow very large, but some - the ants and the termites - dealt with that problem by forming colonies, each containing several million individuals and so became super-organisms that can dominate a plain or a jungle.
Peter's DVD rating: 4.5 stars
David Attenborough explores the world of insects. Here are some details he omits: the "Locust" at the beginning of this episode is the Desert Locust; the orchid pollen are carried by wasps in packets called pollinia; the "antennae" of a swallowtail caterpillar are its osmeterium; the "tubes" and "holes" an insect breathes through are trachea and spiracles. Wonderful scenes include Yucca Moth pollinating the Yucca, the amazing Flower Mantid, and the antics of the various ants, though again Attenborough doesn't really identify many of the species. Be careful watching this episode: once you start watching, it's hard to stop. It would be perfect if he had included parasitic and aquatic insects.
1:20 Desert Locusts 3:40 Magnolia 7:00 Meadow Cranesbill in UV light
8:05 Hazel flowers 8:45 Arum Lily 8:55 Stapelia smells of rotting flesh, attracts Fly
9:20 Corpse Flower (Far East) 9:35 Cuckoopint produces unpleasant smell and warmth; Insects trapped in spathe 11:40 Sage stamps pollen on bee
13:00 Flying Duck Orchid opens 13:15 Orchid attracts Ichneumon wasp by mimicking female, and having the male wasp carry pollinia 17:45 Yucca is actively pollinated by Yucca Moth (Central America)
18:30 Flower Mantid hides in Ginger blossoms to catch Butterfly 21:20 Spiny Leaf Insect molting 22:05 Caterpillar eating its own egg shell
24:00 Orchard Swallowtail caterpillar looks like bird dropping, extends osmeterium 27:10 Common Crow Butterfly chrysalis 28:05 Orchard Swallowtail emerges from chrysalis
29:35 Birdwing Butterfly mating 31:20 Atlas Moth 32:25 Termite queen (Western Australia)
37:40Solitary Bees mating 35:50 Sweat Bee colony (Kansas) 38:50 Honey Bee queen inspecting cells
38:35 Honey Bee worker waggle dancing 42:30 Green Tree Ant S (Weaver Ants) use larvae to produce silk and build nest in leaves (Southeast Asia) 44:10 Leaf Cutter Ants (Parasol Ants)
45:50 Leaf Cutter Ants cultivate fungus garden 47:05 Bullhorn Acacia ? defended by Stinging Ants (Central America) 49:35 Army Ants linking to form bivouac
Schistocerca gregaria
1:20 Desert Locusts
Magnolia
3:40 Magnolia
Geranium pratense
7:00 Meadow Cranesbill in UV light
Corylus
8:05 Hazel flowers
Zantedeschia
8:45 Arum Lily
Stapelia
8:55 Stapelia
Diptera
8:55 Fly
Amorphophallus
9:20 Corpse Flower
Arum maculatum
9:35 Cuckoopint
Insecta
9:35 Insects trapped in spathe
Salvia
11:40 Sage stamps pollen on bee
Paracaleana nigrita
13:00 Flying Duck Orchid
Orchidaceae
13:15 Orchid
Ichneumonidae
13:15 Ichneumon wasp
Yucca
17:45 Yucca
Tegeticula
17:45 Yucca Moth
Hymenopus coronatus
18:30 Flower Mantid
Zingiber
18:30 Ginger blossoms
Pieridae
18:30 Butterfly
Phasmatodea
21:20 Spiny Leaf Insect molting
CATERPILLAR
22:05 Caterpillar eating its own egg shell
Papilio aegeus
24:00 Orchard Swallowtail caterpillar
Euploea core corinna
27:10 Common Crow Butterfly chrysalis
Papilio aegeus
28:05 Orchard Swallowtail emerges from chrysalis
Papilionidae
29:35 Birdwing Butterfly mating
Attacus atlas
31:20 Atlas Moth
Isoptera
32:25 Termite queen
Hymenoptera
37:40 Bees mating
Halictidae
35:50 Sweat Bee colony
Apis mellifera
38:50 Honey Bee queen
Apis mellifera
38:35 Honey Bee worker waggle dancing
Oecophylla
42:30 Green Tree Ant S
Atta
44:10 Leaf Cutter Ants
Atta
45:50 Leaf Cutter Ants cultivate fungus garden
Acacia cornigera
47:05 Bullhorn Acacia ?
Pseudomyrmex ferruginea
47:05 Stinging Ants
Formicidae
49:35 Army Ants
   

Index Jan 10, 2006 CC BY 4.0 Peter Chen 2.0