ALL OVER THE WORLD TOURISM MOST FAMOUS PLACES
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00:00They may be some of the smallest animals of all, but insects are some of the most resourceful
00:05life forms on our planet.
00:07By developing huge collectives, hundreds, thousands, even millions of individuals can
00:11work together towards a common goal.
00:13From gigantic underground structures to frightening webs and miniature cities, in today's video
00:18we're going to explore the top 15 most incredible insect colonies in the world.
00:23Starting with number 15, Cathedral Termites.
00:26Cathedral Termites are a species that are normally found across arid regions of Australia's
00:30Northern Territory.
00:31They get their name from their enormous mounds they construct, which almost resemble miniature
00:36cathedrals against the backdrop of the barren landscape.
00:39These colonies are complex and highly organized, and the mounds that we see above ground, which
00:43can reach heights of up to 15 feet or over 4.5 meters, are just the beginning of a vast
00:49underground structure made up of an intricate network of tunnels, chambers, and galleries.
00:54The termites use a combination of mud, plants, saliva, and feces to build these homes, and
00:58because of these materials and the way they're designed, they have a remarkable ability to
01:02maintain a constant temperature and humidity no matter what's happening outside.
01:07The towers around the mound are hollow, and this creates a circulation effect with the
01:10air inside, so the cooler air from the base blends with the warmer air above, essentially
01:16acting as a natural air conditioning system.
01:18The colonies that live within are massive, with populations numbering hundreds, thousands,
01:23millions of them.
01:25They're divided into different types, including workers, soldiers, and reproductive termites,
01:29and each member has a specific role within the colony, contributing to its overall function,
01:34with the workers responsible for foraging food, maintaining the mound's structure,
01:38and caring for the young, the soldiers protecting the colony from predators with their powerful
01:42jaws and chemical defenses, and the reproductives, ensuring the colony's growth through the
01:46production of new offspring.
01:4914.
01:51PAROWIXIA BISTRIATA The Parowixia Bistriata, which is more commonly
01:55known as the social orb-weaver spider, is a species that's found in South and Central
02:00America.
02:01If the thought of encountering a single spider in the region is a problem, then this species
02:05takes things to a whole new level, because it's one of the very few that have complex
02:09social dynamics and they form elaborate colonies.
02:12They live in groups of hundreds or thousands of individuals, with the colonies usually
02:16being established in shrubs or trees.
02:19They create these communal nests from a combination of silk and plant material, and once they're
02:23built, these nests are distinctive in appearance, resembling a tangled mess of webs and can
02:28stretch between trees, at, on average, 33 feet in diameter.
02:32At first, you may even think there's a flock of birds in the air, but as you look closer,
02:36you realize there's a large number of spiders dotted across a web, with each individual
02:40having bodies that measure around 0.8 inches or about 2 centimeters.
02:44In the colonies, there's a well-defined social structure, and it's normally led
02:48by a dominant female, known as the queen, who's responsible for reproduction and maintaining
02:52order.
02:53Other females in the colony serve as her helpers and assist in various tasks such as foraging,
02:58web maintenance, and defending the nest.
03:00Male spiders are present too, but they primarily play a role in mating and are less involved
03:05in colony activities.
03:06This colony structure offers several advantages to the members.
03:09They work cooperatively to capture prey, with multiple spiders collaborating to subdue larger
03:14insects.
03:15This social setup also provides protection from predators, as the collective presence
03:19of many spiders can deter potential threats.
03:2313.
03:25Dwarf Honeybees Dwarf honeybees are among the smallest of
03:29the honeybee family, and they're native to Southeast Asia.
03:31As well as being tiny, they're known for developing colonies that are very different to other
03:35species.
03:36The nests are usually built in sheltered locations such as tree branches, rock crevices, or human-made
03:41structures like buildings and artificial hives.
03:44These nests are relatively small compared to those of other honeybee species, and will
03:48house several thousand individuals at most.
03:50What's different about these colonies, though, is the unique method of nesting and management.
03:55They build exposed, single-comb nests that look like an umbrella structure and are made
03:59up of a single layer of hexagonal cells that hang downwards.
04:03This open-air arrangement allows for better ventilation and temperature control, which
04:06is particularly vital for colonies in hot and humid climates like those in Southeast
04:10Asia.
04:1114.
04:12Dwarf Honeybees Dwarf honeybees are organized into a caste
04:13system in a similar way to other honeybee species, with a queen, worker bees, and drones.
04:18The queen is the sole reproductive female, while worker bees are responsible for foraging,
04:23defending the nest, and caring for the brood, and the drones are the males whose primary
04:27purpose is mating.
04:28While some bee species will stay in the same nest from year to year, dwarf honeybees don't,
04:33and instead migrate from one region to another.
04:35It's thought that this helps to increase the colony's fitness as well as reducing the chance
04:39of them being infested by parasites.
04:41But it allows them to vary their diet from year to year too.
04:44This also means that their nests never grow beyond a limited size, and they restart again
04:48each year, occasionally swarming during a season or two to break off into new colonies
04:52if they begin to outgrow where they're living.
04:5512.
04:56Leafcutter Ants Leafcutter ants are some of the most fascinating
05:00insects to see at work, especially if you find a trail of them stretching over quite
05:05a distance with one purpose in mind.
05:07They're primarily found in Central and South America, and one of the most influential species
05:12in terms of habitat development because of their foraging and nesting habitats.
05:15Their colonies grow to enormous sizes, often consisting of millions of individuals.
05:20They're classed as eusocial insects, which means they live in highly organized societies
05:24with distinct castes, including workers, soldiers, and reproductive ants, with each caste having
05:29specific roles and responsibilities.
05:32What the species is best known for, of course, is their ability to cut and transport fresh
05:36vegetation back to their underground nests.
05:39Cutters use those powerful mandibles to harvest leaves from a wide variety of plants, often
05:44stripping entire trees of their foliage.
05:46But contrary to what many think, they don't actually eat the plant material, instead they
05:50use it as a substrate to grow a special type of fungus within their nests, and it's this
05:55that provides them with their food.
05:57For this to be possible, leafcutter ants construct elaborate underground chambers and tunnels
06:02within their colonies to house the fungus gardens and their growing population.
06:06Their nests can be extensive, with well-organized ventilation systems and waste disposal mechanisms.
06:11Amazingly, they're also extremely attentive to the fungus to prevent the wrong type from
06:15growing.
06:16And this even means that they can detect chemical signals that are released by the fungus to
06:20understand whether a particular type of leaf is beneficial to its growth or not.
06:25Based on this response, they'll either target specific plants or collection, or avoid collecting
06:29it altogether.
06:3111.
06:33Army Worm Moth Caterpillars Army worm moths, when they're in their adult
06:37stage, can develop beautiful colors, but it's when they're caterpillars that they're most
06:41interesting.
06:42They don't form traditional colonies like some social insects, but will often exhibit
06:46a type of collective behavior that's like a colony and can resemble an on-the-move group
06:51or an army.
06:52Army worm caterpillars are notorious agricultural pests, and they're found in various parts
06:56of the world.
06:57They don't build nests or permanent structures like some other insects, but they live and
07:01move together in large clusters for mutual protection and to gather resources.
07:05When they exhaust food in one area, they collectively migrate to find fresh vegetation, and this
07:10coordinated movement can be quite dramatic, with thousands or even millions of caterpillars
07:15moving together at once.
07:17The main benefit of this behavior is defense against predators, as predatory birds, insects,
07:22and other natural enemies find it challenging to single out and attack individual caterpillars
07:27when they're together as a dense, moving mass.
07:30This behavior, however, can be devastating to the agricultural industry, because when
07:34large groups of these caterpillars form, they can strip fields bare in a matter of days.
07:39With mass migrations being triggered by environmental cues such as population density and food scarcity,
07:44there are signs that unusually large events have become more commonplace as the climate
07:48changes, and it's possible they'll become one of the biggest threats to food security
07:52for humans in some territories in the coming years.
07:55As they mature, though, army worm caterpillars will eventually pupate and transform into
08:00adult moths, and once they've reached this stage, they stop exhibiting this group behavior
08:04and instead focus on mating to start the life cycle all over again.
08:0910.
08:10BALD-FACED HORNETS Despite their name, bald-faced hornets, which
08:14are mainly found in North America, are actually a type of wasp.
08:18But with adults growing to around three-quarters of an inch, or almost two centimeters long,
08:22they're definitely on the larger end of the spectrum.
08:25Colonies are formed in the spring of each year by a single queen, and within a short
08:28period, they'll grow and have up to a thousand individuals.
08:32They build large, football-shaped nests out of a paper-like material that they make from
08:36chewed wood fibers mixed with saliva, and when completed, these can measure up to three
08:40feet or a meter in length.
08:42Within the colony, there's a well-organized social structure, too.
08:45The queen, who is the largest member of the colony, is solely responsible for reproduction
08:50and lays eggs that hatch into sterile female workers.
08:53These workers take on various responsibilities, including foraging for food, nest construction,
08:58and defending the colony, and they're easily identifiable by their distinctive black and
09:01white coloring.
09:03Bald-faced hornets are a species that are known for aggressively defending their nests
09:07and will instantly target any perceived threat, with the ability to release a potent venom
09:11when stinging.
09:13Unlike honeybees, they can sting repeatedly, too, without harming themselves, which is
09:17invaluable in protecting the colony from predators.
09:20As the summer season progresses, the colony grows and the number of individuals increases,
09:24and towards the end of the season, new queens and males are produced.
09:28These reproductives leave the nest to mate, after which the males die, and the newly-mated
09:32queens find shelter over winter before starting all over again the following year.
09:36The original colony, however, will completely die off in this winter.
09:419.
09:43Weaver Ants Found in tropical and subtropical regions
09:46across Asia, Africa, and Australia, weaver ants spend the vast majority of their lives
09:51in the trees, where they search for food and build their nests.
09:55As the name would suggest, they don't gather material to build structures, though, and
09:59instead use what's already there, and weave plant material together in the way that they
10:03need, with the silk that's produced by their larvae.
10:07The nests they build serve multiple purposes, providing shelter, security, and a central
10:11hub for colony activities.
10:13They consist of a series of interconnected chambers, galleries, and tunnels within the
10:17leaves, with these chambers serving as nurseries for ant larvae, storage spaces for food, and
10:21resting area for colony members.
10:24The social structure of weaver ant colonies is highly organized, with distinct castes,
10:29and like with most insects, the queen is the sole reproductive female.
10:32The workers, which make up the majority of the colony, take on various roles, such as
10:36gathering food, tending to the queen and her offspring, and defending the nest, and it's
10:40the soldier ants with the enlarged jaws that are responsible for colony defense.
10:45With so many threats where they live, weaver ants are highly aggressive and territorial.
10:50They actively patrol their territories, attacking intruders, including other ant species that
10:55get too close, and as well as having strong jaws and painful bites that, when inflicted
10:59by a number of individuals, are usually enough to convince a would-be attacker that it ain't
11:04worth it.
11:05One of the more surprising behaviors of weaver ant colonies is the way that they hunt.
11:09They engage in group foraging, and will swarm in the thousands over tree branches and foliage
11:14to capture prey such as insects and spiders.
11:17Their coordinated efforts make them efficient hunters, and their presence has a significant
11:21impact on the ecosystem by controlling pest populations.
11:25So much so that in some regions, they are actively introduced to land by farmers because
11:29they can be so effective in reducing populations of crop-damaging insects.
11:35Number 8.
11:36Tent Caterpillars Tent caterpillars are the larval forms of
11:40a group of moths that include several species commonly found in North America and other
11:44parts of the world.
11:45These caterpillars are known for their unique behavior of forming communal silk tents, which
11:50act as their shelters and hubs for various activities while they're eating enough to
11:54pupate.
11:55Tent caterpillar colonies typically begin with a single egg mass laid by a female moth.
12:00The eggs are wrapped in a protective layer of this foam-like silk, which hardens over
12:05time.
12:06In the spring, caterpillars emerge from their eggs and immediately start building a communal
12:10silk tent.
12:11These tents are often located between tree branches or in other sheltered locations.
12:16This tent serves multiple purposes within the colony, but primarily as a safe haven
12:20for the caterpillars to molt, rest, and seek shelter from predators.
12:24The caterpillars venture out of the tent to forage for food, which is usually the leaves
12:28from the host tree or nearby vegetation, and then they'll return to the tent periodically
12:33to regroup and communicate with nestmates through tactile and chemical signals.
12:38Tent caterpillar colonies are highly social, with each individual caterpillar playing a
12:41specific role.
12:43The mature caterpillars, or scouts, are responsible for finding food sources and returning to
12:47the tent to lead others to the location, while the younger caterpillars, known as feeders,
12:52stay behind and consume the leaves while also maintaining the tent structure.
12:56This division of labor allows for an efficient resource exploitation and colony defense far
13:01more so than if they remained solitary like most other species.
13:05As part of a colony, they also synchronize their feeding and their movements.
13:09When a food source is run out, the entire colony will move together in a procession
13:12to find a new site, which can be an incredible thing to witness.
13:16With caterpillars marching in rows following a silken thread laid by the lead caterpillar,
13:21they eventually set themselves up in a new location, where they'll build a new silk
13:24tent and hopefully be able to stay there until they're ready to transform into adult moths.
13:317.
13:34Sweat Bees Sweat bees are a group of small to medium-sized
13:38bees that are found worldwide, but exhibit some behaviors that are unusual, like their
13:42affinity for sweat and their nests in the ground.
13:46They get their names because of the way they land on humans and other animals to collect
13:50sweat droplets, which they use as a source of hydration and minerals.
13:54This isn't their main source of food, though, and they also forage on nectar and pollen
13:58from flowers.
13:59When it comes to formations of their colonies, sweat bees adopt a social structure that falls
14:03between solitary and highly eusocial species like honey bees.
14:07They form colonies with a small number of individuals, often numbering in the dozens
14:11to a few hundred, making them less populous than some other social bees.
14:15Within the colony, there's often a clear division of labor, with different castes of
14:19females responsible for various tasks.
14:22Sweat bee colonies will normally be founded by a single female known as the foundress.
14:26She emerges from hibernation in the spring, finds a suitable nesting site, and rather
14:30than starting a nest in a tree like most bees, will begin constructing a small tunnel
14:34in the ground.
14:35This tunnel serves as the initial nest chamber, and once it's complete, the foundress lays
14:39her eggs and provides them with pollen and nectar.
14:42As the first generation of worker bees emerges, they take over the foraging and provisioning
14:46tasks, allowing the foundress to focus on laying eggs.
14:49The social organization of sweat bee colonies may vary depending on the species.
14:53In some cases, there may be a clear division between worker bees and reproductives, while
14:57in others, multiple females may lay eggs within the same colony, making them quite
15:02unlike most other bee species.
15:056.
15:06Woolly Aphids Unlike typical aphids that are small and often
15:10green or brown, woolly aphids are covered in a white, waxy substance that gives them
15:15a woolly or cottony appearance.
15:17But that's just the start of how unusual they are.
15:20They feed on plant sap by inserting their piercing, sucking mouthparts into plant tissues,
15:25and as they feed, they excrete a sugary substance called honeydew, which is a valuable food
15:30source for other insects.
15:32This honeydew production is a critical aspect of their interactions within ecosystems and
15:36together as they form colonies.
15:38They'll often appear as clusters of hundreds of individuals on plant stems or under sides
15:43of leaves.
15:44Within these colonies, you can find various life stages of aphids, from nymphs to adults,
15:48but in a twist, they aren't the only species of insect that's involved in the colony.
15:53Many species of woolly aphids have a mutualistic relationship with ants, which are attracted
15:58to their honeydew.
15:59In return for this, the ants provide protection to the aphid colonies and will continuously
16:04patrol them to guard against potential predators.
16:07Further to this first line of defense, that waxy substance that covers woolly aphids serves
16:11as both protection and camouflage.
16:14It shields them from predators like ladybugs and lacewings that help them retain moisture
16:18in arid conditions.
16:19The waxy covering can make them appear like small tufts of cotton on plant stems and leaves,
16:24making them a bit challenging to spot, especially when they're bunched together with others,
16:28as predators are less likely to see them as morsels of food that are worth pursuing.
16:35Number 5.
16:36Asian Giant Hornet The Asian Giant Hornet is one of the largest
16:41and most feared species of hornet.
16:43It's native to East and Southeast Asia, including countries like Japan, China, and Korea.
16:48Hornets are known for their aggressive behavior and powerful stings, and have in recent years
16:52become more popularly known as murder hornets.
16:56Encountering one may be unnerving enough, but it's the colonies you should be particularly
17:00careful around because they can contain as many as thousands of individuals, each of
17:04which measures up to two inches or five centimeters long.
17:08Their colonies are typically started in the spring by a single fertilized queen, and once
17:12she finds a site, she starts constructing a small paper nest by chewing wood fibers
17:16and mixing them with her saliva.
17:18This nest serves as the foundation for the colony, which then begins to grow as workers
17:22are born.
17:23With the queen focused on laying eggs, the workers begin foraging for food and further
17:26building the nest, and are the main component of the hive's activities.
17:30Unlike some other social insects, the Asian Giant Hornets do not store food for the winter.
17:35Instead, they hunt other insects, especially honeybees, which they decimate in massive
17:40numbers.
17:41This predatory behavior has made them a significant concern for beekeepers, as they pose a serious
17:46threat to bee colonies.
17:48In the late summer or early fall, the colony's reproductive phase begins.
17:51New queens and males are produced, and they leave the nest to mate.
17:55After mating, the males die, while the newly-mated queens find shelter to hibernate during the
17:59winter.
18:00The original colony, including the queen and worker hornets, eventually dies off as the
18:04weather gets colder.
18:064.
18:07Gypsy Moth Caterpillars Gypsy Moth Caterpillars are found across North
18:12America and Europe, and while they don't form colonies in a traditional sense, they
18:16will congregate in large groups, which have the potential to cause significant deforestation
18:21and economic damage.
18:23Gypsy Moth Caterpillars undergo several stages of life, with the larval stage being the most
18:27destructive.
18:28They hatch from eggs laid by female moths in masses on trees and other surfaces in late
18:33summer.
18:34These caterpillars are known for their distinctive appearance, with long, bristle-like hairs
18:38covering their bodies.
18:40During this larval stage, Gypsy Moth Caterpillars feed non-stop on the leaves of a wide range
18:44of trees, including oaks, maples, and birches.
18:48When their numbers are high, they can completely defoliate entire trees, leaving them vulnerable
18:53to stress and disease, and during this time will exhibit group behavior.
18:57In the early stages of development, they will work together to spin silken threads that
19:01allow them to disperse between branches and trees, and it's not unusual to see dozens
19:06or hundreds of caterpillars as part of the same group.
19:09As the Gypsy Moth Caterpillars mature, though, they become more solitary and head off to
19:13find a site to pupate.
19:15Once they become moths, they will only ever meet up with one another in order to mate,
19:19and then spend the little time that they have left on their own.
19:233.
19:24CENTERMESE TERMITES Centermese termites, also known as fungus-growing
19:30termites, are a species that's mainly found in Central and South America, and are responsible
19:34for some of the largest colony networks of all.
19:36They live in underground nests, which can vary in size from small family groups to massive
19:41ones.
19:42These nests are complex structures, consisting of a network of tunnels, chambers, and galleries,
19:46and the insects build using a combination of soil, feces, and saliva.
19:50As is commonly the case, the colonies have a highly organized caste system, consisting
19:54of workers, soldiers, and reproductives, with the workers being responsible for most of
19:58the tasks, the soldiers with their specialized jaws and defensive abilities protecting the
20:03colony, and the reproductives, of course, responsible for producing new offspring and
20:07maintaining the colony's growth.
20:09In 2018, researchers revealed that what seemed like innocuous mounds across a region in Brazil
20:14were actually signs of one of the largest communities of any animal on the planet.
20:20In the northeast of the country, there are at least 200 million large mounds across an
20:24area of 88,000 square miles, which is around the same size as Great Britain, and each one
20:29of these was formed by the development of a termite colony.
20:32Even more impressive is that some are almost 4,000 years old, meaning they were being dug
20:37by the insects at the time the Roman civilization was beginning to emerge in Europe.
20:42The mounds are extremely inconvenient for farmers, as they've been baked in the sun
20:46and have been there so long that they're difficult to move.
20:49But rather than being the homes of the termites, they're simply the waste material.
20:53They represent the excavation of more than 35 billion cubic feet of dirt, which means
20:58there's a vast network of tunnels between the ground that trillions of termites are
21:03probably still using to this day.
21:072.
21:09Stingless Bees Now, while you may think one of the main features
21:12of a bee is its stinger, there's actually a number of stingless bees that are found
21:17in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide.
21:20Without having this protective weapon, they have developed a different way of living,
21:24and their hives are just as unusual.
21:26They typically build their colonies in tree hollows, crevices, or in soil burrows that
21:30can range in size from a few hundred to several thousand individuals, depending on the species,
21:35and develop an intricate architecture and organization.
21:37The colony consists of various castes, including the workers, soldiers, and reproductives,
21:41with them taking the same responsibilities as the case with other species.
21:45The nest, though, is built differently, and it's made up of a mixture of beeswax and resin.
21:50Stingless bees use their mandibles to collect and mix these materials, creating a series
21:54of intricate chambers and tunnels, with the beeswax providing structural stability, while
21:59the resin helps to waterproof and protect the nest from moisture and invaders.
22:03As they're native to warm regions, their nests are designed to maximize airflow and promote
22:07temperature regulation.
22:09They maintain a stable internal temperature, crucial for the development of their brood,
22:13with some species even constructing elaborate entrance tubes that can be several feet long
22:17to facilitate airflow and control access.
22:21In addition to their unique nests, they also have a clever way of regulating the humidity
22:25within the hive.
22:26They collect water and store it in these cerumen pots, which are specialized storage cells
22:31within the nest, and will then fan their wings over the pots causing the water to evaporate,
22:36and then cool and humidify the nest.
22:401.
22:42Argentine Ants Argentine ants are a small, but highly successful
22:48invasive species that's native to South America, but with their ability to build colonies at
22:52an incredible speed, they're one of the most prevalent species across the planet.
22:57Instead of simply building colonies, they build super colonies, and these can cover
23:02entire neighborhoods, cities, or even entire regions.
23:05In fact, in several regions of California, Europe, Japan, and Australia, colonies have
23:09been discovered that cover many thousands of miles, with chemical analysis suggesting
23:14that the colonies on different continents are related and could instead be referred
23:18to as a single global super colony.
23:21There are quite a few traits unique to Argentine ants that have made this prevalence possible
23:26in comparison to others.
23:27The first is that they aren't territorial or aggressive at all, and instead of diverting
23:31resources to battling other colonies, they can focus purely on reproducing.
23:36They'll easily peacefully coexist with other species, and in some cases, will cooperate.
23:41As is the case with other ant species, the colony's workforce, even though they're many
23:45magnitudes larger, is divided into castes, with workers responsible for foraging, nest
23:50maintenance, and caring for the queen and her brood.
23:53The queen, of course, is the reproductive powerhouse, continually laying eggs to replenish
23:57the colony's numbers.
23:59Argentine ants are mainly attracted to sugary substances, and their foraging trails can
24:03be seen near sources of sweet foods.
24:05They're also opportunistic predators, feeding on smaller insects and other arthropods, which
24:10they'll swarm over before dragging back to the nest.
24:13All of this, though, is creating quite an environmental concern, and it's believed to
24:17be human activity that's allowed for them to travel over oceans and take hold far beyond
24:22where they originated.
24:23In doing so, they've displaced native ant species and other beneficial insects, which
24:28could severely disrupt local ecosystems and even impact the pollination of native plants.
24:32Additionally, their aggressive foraging behavior can lead to problems in agricultural settings,
24:37as they may protect and tend to aphids, which can cause further damage to crops.
24:42Efforts to control the Argentine ant populations are challenging, too, due to their ability
24:45to form supercolonies that span vast areas.
24:49Traditional pest control methods are often ineffective against these ants, and it's
24:52almost impossible to know how far a nest stretches.
24:56Meaning, the best bet is simply containment, and preventing them from spreading to new
25:00places.
25:01I'll see you guys next time.