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Science and Nature

Honeypot Ants Turn Their Biggest Sisters Into Jugs of Nectar

See the unseen at the very edge of our visible world. Get a new perspective on our place in the universe and meet extraordinary new friends. Explore big scientific mysteries by going incredibly small.

Honeypot Ants Turn Their Biggest Sisters Into Jugs of Nectar

Season 9 Episode 5 | 4m 36s | CC

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.

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