1 00:00:15,400 --> 00:00:19,890 In Africa there lives an extraordinary tree 2 00:00:19,900 --> 00:00:22,759 She is the queen of the riverbank 3 00:00:22,760 --> 00:00:27,460 A monarch whose story stretches back millions of years 4 00:00:30,100 --> 00:00:35,180 In tribal cultures, have curious ways have fueled myth and legend 5 00:00:35,850 --> 00:00:40,850 They set her apart from other trees 6 00:00:42,380 --> 00:00:45,400 She is a sycomore fig 7 00:00:45,401 --> 00:00:48,420 Queen of Africa's trees 8 00:00:56,640 --> 00:00:58,479 She appears never to flower 9 00:00:58,480 --> 00:01:03,190 Yet mysteriously she fruits several times a year 10 00:01:04,340 --> 00:01:07,960 She seems to have no regard for season 11 00:01:07,961 --> 00:01:11,580 and drops her leaves when she pleases 12 00:01:12,040 --> 00:01:17,970 Strangest of all is the relationship upon which she completely depends 13 00:01:20,520 --> 00:01:23,430 The two partners couldn't be more different 14 00:01:23,431 --> 00:01:27,130 One can withstand a river in flood 15 00:01:27,200 --> 00:01:31,200 the other can drown in a dew drop 16 00:01:33,320 --> 00:01:37,990 One lives for centuries, the other only hours 17 00:01:39,150 --> 00:01:43,150 They differ in size a billion times over 18 00:01:43,440 --> 00:01:49,940 At about 1mm long the fig wasp is so small that it could fly through the eye of a needle 19 00:01:51,310 --> 00:01:55,310 but no fig tree could exist without it 20 00:01:58,780 --> 00:02:02,780 Sycomore figs are found throughout tropical Africa 21 00:02:03,610 --> 00:02:07,610 In Southern Kenya they thrive along river banks 22 00:02:11,780 --> 00:02:15,780 This is the story of one of those trees 23 00:02:20,450 --> 00:02:24,450 Our African queen is a mature sycomore fig 24 00:02:25,440 --> 00:02:29,440 She started life as a seed a hundred years ago 25 00:02:34,220 --> 00:02:38,220 She provides for many animals 26 00:02:42,240 --> 00:02:45,800 To some, she is a hunting ground 27 00:02:45,801 --> 00:02:49,800 To others, she is home 28 00:02:51,530 --> 00:02:55,530 She feeds a greater variety than any tree in Africa 29 00:03:00,750 --> 00:03:06,750 that only a few even notice 30 00:03:07,640 --> 00:03:11,640 Every few months, the queen produces up to a ton of fruit 31 00:03:12,630 --> 00:03:16,440 To reproduce, she must transfer pollen to make seeds 32 00:03:16,441 --> 00:03:20,309 and then disperse them inside figs 33 00:03:20,310 --> 00:03:26,310 The last crop fell only days ago, but up above she is starting again 34 00:03:27,640 --> 00:03:32,270 Over the next two weeks, the tiny buds swell to become young figs 35 00:03:36,380 --> 00:03:40,380 Hidden inside each are the queen's tiny flowers 36 00:03:41,540 --> 00:03:44,469 At this stage a fig is not a fruit 37 00:03:44,470 --> 00:03:49,470 but a secret garden whose delicate perfume attracts a flock of fig wasps 38 00:03:52,690 --> 00:03:58,290 Their arrival will trigger a sequence of events that will resonate out through the bush 39 00:04:01,070 --> 00:04:05,500 The wasps are all females, laden with pollen and eggs 40 00:04:07,310 --> 00:04:13,310 They must enter the fig via the garden gate to pollinate the flowers and lay their eggs inside 41 00:04:19,550 --> 00:04:27,250 A one-way passage leads to the secret garden which is lined with hundreds of microscopic white flowers 42 00:04:32,110 --> 00:04:37,920 Some of these flowers will become seeds, others will be a nursery for fig wasps 43 00:04:38,960 --> 00:04:43,290 The tree will surround each wasp egg with a capsule, called a gall 44 00:04:43,310 --> 00:04:47,310 which will nourish and protect it 45 00:04:48,590 --> 00:04:55,490 The wasps will soon die, but inside each hanging garden their offspring will live on 46 00:04:56,150 --> 00:04:59,410 The queen is now their surrogate mother 47 00:04:59,510 --> 00:05:03,510 and will care for them until they hatch in 2 months' time 48 00:05:06,510 --> 00:05:11,440 The fig wasps aren't the only ones to lay eggs in the tree 49 00:05:11,441 --> 00:05:15,440 for a pair of grey hornbills is nesting 50 00:05:16,540 --> 00:05:20,540 This female's confinement will be temporary 51 00:05:23,640 --> 00:05:26,780 She seals herself into the hollow trunk leaving only a slit 52 00:05:27,220 --> 00:05:32,220 through which her mate can feed her 53 00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:51,000 The swelling figs place a big demand on the queen 54 00:05:51,580 --> 00:05:57,580 To feed her wasps and grow seeds, she needs to make sugar with her leaves 55 00:06:04,240 --> 00:06:09,240 Animals that eat leaves are a major threat 56 00:06:11,970 --> 00:06:17,050 If the queen loses too many, she might have to abort her figs 57 00:06:24,350 --> 00:06:28,850 The only thing more damaging is a direct attack on the nursery 58 00:06:50,350 --> 00:06:56,540 To protect her leaves and young figs the queen pumps them up with a milky latex 59 00:06:56,570 --> 00:07:00,770 which is foul-tasting and sticky 60 00:07:06,130 --> 00:07:08,729 Small offenders get stuck down 61 00:07:08,730 --> 00:07:14,840 and it's unpleasant enough to ensure that others don't stay too long to feed 62 00:07:19,900 --> 00:07:24,130 Sycomore figs have been under attack for millions of years 63 00:07:24,230 --> 00:07:30,040 In that time, some insects have evolved strategies to overcome the defenses 64 00:07:35,350 --> 00:07:41,830 A fig long horn beetle bites through the veins to disrupt the flow of latex 65 00:07:45,240 --> 00:07:50,240 It starts with the main vein and works outwards 66 00:07:54,990 --> 00:08:01,280 Downstream of the damage, the flow is cut off and the beetle can feed 67 00:08:16,830 --> 00:08:22,920 The fig katydid cuts the flow of latex by cutting off the leaf 68 00:08:28,050 --> 00:08:32,240 The pink mantis is a predator but it's still very young 69 00:08:32,360 --> 00:08:37,360 and a katydid this size is more monster than meal 70 00:08:40,220 --> 00:08:47,180 The mantis can't fly so to get off the leaf it has to get pass the green giant 71 00:09:26,550 --> 00:09:33,550 Beneath the tree, the fermenting juice in the last crop of figs attracts vinegar flies 72 00:09:36,420 --> 00:09:41,130 An ideal size, the mantis still wants to snatch a bite to eat 73 00:09:59,590 --> 00:10:06,090 The male hornbill is working hard for he now has 3 extra mouths to feed 74 00:10:11,640 --> 00:10:14,289 For hornbills, nesting is always a risk 75 00:10:14,290 --> 00:10:21,290 To try and plan her family for when most food is available the female had to lay before the rains 76 00:10:21,780 --> 00:10:28,390 This year they're late, and every day that they are delayed will make finding food a little harder 77 00:10:28,530 --> 00:10:32,530 and the chicks a little weaker 78 00:10:36,620 --> 00:10:40,110 To try and protect the wasp nursery from parasites 79 00:10:40,111 --> 00:10:43,600 after the females enter, the queen close the gate 80 00:10:43,601 --> 00:10:47,800 and flooded the garden with an antiseptic liquid 81 00:10:48,670 --> 00:10:51,499 He doesn't work against nematode worms 82 00:10:51,500 --> 00:10:57,800 which used a female wasp as a Trojan horse and stowed away in her body to get into the fig 83 00:10:57,900 --> 00:11:00,909 Inside they burst out 84 00:11:00,910 --> 00:11:05,910 and are now breeding to be ready to infect the next generation of fig wasps 85 00:11:11,040 --> 00:11:15,400 Outside the nursery is under attack from parasitic wasps 86 00:11:15,650 --> 00:11:24,150 They can't get in by the gate so they drill through the long ovipositor, an egg-laying device that works like a hypodermic 87 00:11:34,290 --> 00:11:40,480 Forced deep inside, it will deposit an egg on a developing fig wasp 88 00:11:40,530 --> 00:11:45,280 The grub that hatches will kill the wasp and take over its gall 89 00:11:52,080 --> 00:11:55,520 The driller seems to have evolved the perfect strategy 90 00:11:55,521 --> 00:11:59,950 but over time, even parasites can be exploited 91 00:12:00,080 --> 00:12:03,480 A smaller banded wasp has an ovipositor 92 00:12:03,590 --> 00:12:08,590 just as long but more flexible 93 00:12:10,510 --> 00:12:15,240 The little wasps fight for access and when the driller pulls out 94 00:12:15,390 --> 00:12:20,390 the winner goes straight for its hole 95 00:12:25,420 --> 00:12:29,520 It will use the same shaft to lay its egg on the driller's 96 00:12:29,580 --> 00:12:34,580 for these smaller wasps are parasites of parasites 97 00:12:41,810 --> 00:12:47,400 In the queen's battle to protect her fig wasps her allies are ants 98 00:12:47,750 --> 00:12:51,750 They will kill any parasites they capture 99 00:12:52,560 --> 00:12:58,210 Anything they can't subdue, they bite and sting to drive away 100 00:13:07,240 --> 00:13:12,400 The ants appear to be protecting the figs and in a sense they are 101 00:13:12,580 --> 00:13:16,580 for all are attacted 102 00:13:18,210 --> 00:13:22,210 All that is, except one 103 00:13:23,230 --> 00:13:28,350 These tiny bug eggs should be the ideal snack for an ant 104 00:13:28,500 --> 00:13:32,800 but instead, the ants look after them 105 00:13:38,020 --> 00:13:40,960 As they hatch, the ants gather up the babies 106 00:13:40,961 --> 00:13:45,539 They're nymphs of a bug called hilda 107 00:13:45,540 --> 00:13:49,540 which are herded up to graze as if they were sheep 108 00:13:54,240 --> 00:13:59,240 Almost every fig now becomes a paddock 109 00:14:02,570 --> 00:14:07,440 The ants are so attentive because a nymph has hollow piercing mouthparts 110 00:14:07,700 --> 00:14:11,700 that enable it to tap into the fig's sap 111 00:14:16,510 --> 00:14:22,080 The sweet liquid is under pressure so it passes rapidly through the nymph 112 00:14:25,060 --> 00:14:28,600 When it comes out, it still contains plenty of sugar 113 00:14:28,610 --> 00:14:35,610 So in return for being nursemaids and bodyguards the ants receive the supply of sweet honeydew 114 00:14:43,310 --> 00:14:47,400 The wounds made by the nymphs and parasites are heal for the latex 115 00:14:47,690 --> 00:14:51,690 that drives to form a natural rubber 116 00:14:55,480 --> 00:15:01,040 The bee doesn't eat it but collects it to take back to seal holes in its own nest 117 00:15:23,800 --> 00:15:29,640 It's been two weeks since the hornbill chicks hatched and still it hasn't rained 118 00:15:34,700 --> 00:15:38,800 Now the female must break out to help feed her family 119 00:15:46,290 --> 00:15:51,290 as soon as she leaves, the eldest chick instinctively starts to plaster up the hole again 120 00:15:51,670 --> 00:15:56,149 using droppings and debris from the nest 121 00:15:56,150 --> 00:16:00,150 It will be a while before it is ready to leave 122 00:17:08,980 --> 00:17:13,980 The rains arouse some that had been sleeping for months 123 00:17:21,960 --> 00:17:26,960 They will bring the expected flush of insects 124 00:17:26,990 --> 00:17:30,990 but they have come too late for the youngest chick 125 00:17:38,040 --> 00:17:42,910 When their mother left the largest chick dominated the food supply 126 00:17:46,250 --> 00:17:50,330 The chicks differed in size because the eggs were laid a few days apart 127 00:17:50,630 --> 00:17:54,630 and hatched at different times 128 00:17:59,030 --> 00:18:03,230 There is a distinct pecking order, so in lean times 129 00:18:03,560 --> 00:18:08,640 the chick with the best chance of survival gets to feed first and takes most of the food 130 00:18:11,100 --> 00:18:17,100 Even now when both parents providing the smallest dare not feed until the larger is full 131 00:18:27,010 --> 00:18:31,950 Despite clear skies, beneath the tree it still seems to be raining 132 00:18:37,790 --> 00:18:40,329 These are fig cicadas 133 00:18:40,330 --> 00:18:43,930 they emerge after rain and tap straight into the sap 134 00:18:44,010 --> 00:18:48,010 Like hilda they vent what they can't absorb 135 00:18:48,140 --> 00:18:53,290 But to avoid getting their wings sticky they don't drip but squirt 136 00:18:59,790 --> 00:19:03,790 From the trees' point of view this is a major assault 137 00:19:23,250 --> 00:19:28,530 In the fight against cicadas, the queen needs all the help she can get 138 00:19:28,870 --> 00:19:32,699 For the ants have changed their allegiance 139 00:19:32,700 --> 00:19:35,960 Each time a cicada pulls out it leaves a drop of sweet sap 140 00:19:35,970 --> 00:19:39,899 which bribes the security 141 00:19:39,900 --> 00:19:43,900 The ants are too busy drinking to protect the tree 142 00:19:47,510 --> 00:19:50,870 The sap is the only thing the ants will defend 143 00:19:50,871 --> 00:19:54,085 But if news of it gets back to the hive 144 00:19:54,086 --> 00:19:57,300 then the bees will be back in force 145 00:20:01,480 --> 00:20:05,480 At the peak of the invasion the trunk runs with sap 146 00:20:05,560 --> 00:20:09,560 and branches and leaves are sticky with sweet drizzle 147 00:20:12,380 --> 00:20:16,139 Monkeys are opportunitists 148 00:20:16,140 --> 00:20:20,015 Cicadas are only around for a few days each year 149 00:20:20,016 --> 00:20:23,890 so they get their fix of sugar while they can 150 00:20:26,930 --> 00:20:30,309 To begin with there's no competition 151 00:20:30,310 --> 00:20:34,310 but it didn't f long for the news to spread 152 00:21:22,340 --> 00:21:28,320 Fortunately for the queen the cicadas disappear as quickly as they came 153 00:21:33,080 --> 00:21:39,300 For the past 2 months she has been making sugar to grow seeds and wasps 154 00:21:40,110 --> 00:21:44,530 Inside the figs the protective fluid has drained away 155 00:21:44,540 --> 00:21:49,040 The exposed galls are no bigger than pinheads 156 00:21:51,090 --> 00:21:56,140 The female wasps inside cannot hatch yet, they must wait for a mate 157 00:22:01,320 --> 00:22:06,360 Male fig wasps have powerful jaws and a single intension 158 00:22:13,330 --> 00:22:17,840 On hatching they cut through to the captive females 159 00:22:18,100 --> 00:22:23,100 not to let them out but to let themselves in 160 00:22:27,220 --> 00:22:31,760 A male has no wings, and only tiny antennae and eyes 161 00:22:32,210 --> 00:22:36,520 but in one area, he's very well-endowed 162 00:22:40,830 --> 00:22:45,830 His cleft chin helps guide him in 163 00:22:52,830 --> 00:22:57,189 He impregnates a female before she hatches 164 00:22:57,190 --> 00:23:03,190 With an organ that is so long and flexible that some males can mate without leaving their galls 165 00:23:17,690 --> 00:23:22,500 Inside the trunk, there has been a dramatic change in behavior 166 00:23:22,530 --> 00:23:27,530 as if adolescence had set in overnight 167 00:23:28,490 --> 00:23:31,490 At dawn, the eldest chick started breaking down the door 168 00:23:31,860 --> 00:23:36,860 It's time for it to leave 169 00:23:41,470 --> 00:23:47,190 In the confined space the chick hasn't even been able to stretch its wings 170 00:23:47,570 --> 00:23:53,570 so if it's to fly, it will lead instinct to kick in before it hits the ground 171 00:24:00,940 --> 00:24:04,940 It is an adolescent triumph of instinct over experience 172 00:24:05,210 --> 00:24:10,210 but it will be a few days yet before the last chick attempts it 173 00:24:15,080 --> 00:24:19,080 The queen can produce up to 100,000 figs 174 00:24:19,350 --> 00:24:24,740 Inside each, the female fig wasps have enlarged the holes the males make 175 00:24:25,070 --> 00:24:29,070 and are now starting to emerge 176 00:24:30,940 --> 00:24:33,529 They look very different to their mates 177 00:24:33,530 --> 00:24:40,530 as they have large eyes antennae and wings all will be essential for their mission 178 00:25:01,490 --> 00:25:07,490 The parasites hatch too for they will rely on the fig wasps to help them escape from the fig 179 00:25:13,380 --> 00:25:18,380 The nematode worms are trying to snag a female wasp 180 00:25:22,220 --> 00:25:28,180 They'll burrow into her body and slowly eat her alive 181 00:25:28,300 --> 00:25:33,750 but they can't kill her too quickly as she is the only way they reach another fig 182 00:25:36,790 --> 00:25:42,010 The male wasps' next job is to cut flowers 183 00:25:45,020 --> 00:25:50,610 The white anthers contain pollen and must be chopped down for the females 184 00:25:56,860 --> 00:26:01,900 Their mission is to carry the queen's pollen to other trees 185 00:26:02,200 --> 00:26:04,869 This is why she raised them 186 00:26:04,870 --> 00:26:09,230 Pollination of a queen is exclusively by appointment 187 00:26:13,580 --> 00:26:20,580 The fig wasp female scrapes out pollen and carefully packs it into special pockets on her breast 188 00:26:22,980 --> 00:26:24,980 It is extraordinary behavior 189 00:26:30,950 --> 00:26:33,940 Meanwhile, the males have started to tunnel 190 00:26:33,980 --> 00:26:40,030 It will take them some hours but before they die they must release the females from the fig 191 00:26:48,670 --> 00:26:53,980 These bees are scouts sent ahead of a swarm to search for a nest site 192 00:26:54,540 --> 00:26:58,540 but it is already occupied 193 00:27:04,680 --> 00:27:09,030 The baby hornbill is in danger if a single scout gets back 194 00:27:09,590 --> 00:27:13,590 then the swarm will descend on the tree 195 00:27:16,310 --> 00:27:20,310 It can't let any get away 196 00:27:46,830 --> 00:27:52,360 In thousands of figs all over the tree the tiny tunnelers are about to break out 197 00:27:53,400 --> 00:27:59,400 In the space of one hour in the late afternoon millions of fig wasps will emerge 198 00:28:11,250 --> 00:28:15,250 This is the final act of the males' brief lives 199 00:28:17,440 --> 00:28:22,840 For them a glimpse of evening sunshine won't signal freedom but death 200 00:28:24,050 --> 00:28:26,629 After 2 months developing inside the fig 201 00:28:26,630 --> 00:28:31,660 their lives have been whittled down to an intense few hours 202 00:28:34,620 --> 00:28:38,930 Now they give their lives to set the females free 203 00:28:42,980 --> 00:28:45,979 The winged courier will never feed 204 00:28:45,980 --> 00:28:49,730 They can't survive more than a few hours in the sun 205 00:28:49,731 --> 00:28:52,920 and the worms inside are already weakening them 206 00:28:52,921 --> 00:28:56,920 Theirs will be a race against time 207 00:29:16,490 --> 00:29:20,490 They don't hang about for good reason 208 00:29:21,860 --> 00:29:25,860 The ants don't distinguish between parasite and pollinator 209 00:29:26,120 --> 00:29:30,120 but it's the price the queen pays for security 210 00:29:31,350 --> 00:29:38,110 The ants kept many parasites from laying, so ultimately more fig wasps survived 211 00:29:43,500 --> 00:29:47,500 The activity attracts other players 212 00:29:48,720 --> 00:29:55,220 In its bid to reach the wasps a tiny day gecko doesn't notice a giant stick insect 213 00:29:55,290 --> 00:29:59,290 it plays an important supporting role 214 00:30:17,160 --> 00:30:21,059 Fig wasps can't sting and they're so nourishing 215 00:30:21,060 --> 00:30:26,560 that in order to catch them the gecko risks going out on a limb 216 00:30:55,960 --> 00:30:59,560 Sometimes that is not enough 217 00:31:03,960 --> 00:31:09,960 As a last resort, to distract a predator a gecko can jettison its tail 218 00:31:12,960 --> 00:31:14,659 It's a remarkable ploy 219 00:31:14,660 --> 00:31:20,060 and if the gecko stays out of trouble then its tail will grow back 220 00:31:27,040 --> 00:31:31,810 All over the tree, the queen's tiny couriers are being intercepted 221 00:31:50,370 --> 00:31:57,370 A spider cannot eat them all at once so it wraps them in silk trapped as a living larder 222 00:32:02,370 --> 00:32:07,370 For each wasp that's captured hundreds will fly free 223 00:32:07,430 --> 00:32:10,060 It will be the flight of their lives 224 00:32:10,061 --> 00:32:12,689 This evening the tiny wasps will set out 225 00:32:12,690 --> 00:32:16,690 in search of a fig tree and another secret garden 226 00:32:27,660 --> 00:32:30,819 Some will find trees nearby 227 00:32:30,820 --> 00:32:35,350 but others will be picked up by the wind and can travel over 100km 228 00:33:22,160 --> 00:33:26,160 In the aftermath of the break out the queen is littered with casualties 229 00:33:27,660 --> 00:33:31,670 Many didn't make it or gave their lives so that others did 230 00:33:51,030 --> 00:33:54,159 One scout got away 231 00:33:54,160 --> 00:33:56,309 and although the parents tried 232 00:33:56,310 --> 00:34:00,050 they couldn't entice the chick from the nest 233 00:34:00,051 --> 00:34:03,050 it simply wasn't ready 234 00:34:22,130 --> 00:34:25,189 The queen's leaves have done their job 235 00:34:25,190 --> 00:34:27,840 For the last 2 months they've been making sugar 236 00:34:27,850 --> 00:34:32,680 but the wasps have flown and her seeds are ready to be dispersed 237 00:34:40,100 --> 00:34:44,045 When the wasps left the figs ripened rapidly 238 00:34:44,046 --> 00:34:47,990 to become soft and orange and full of sugar 239 00:34:48,800 --> 00:34:52,800 It's as if each is shouting: eat me! 240 00:35:10,250 --> 00:35:14,250 Over 100 different kinds of birds eat figs 241 00:35:14,600 --> 00:35:18,600 all will fly off with a cargo of seeds 242 00:35:33,030 --> 00:35:37,030 Some eat little else 243 00:35:41,920 --> 00:35:47,920 A green pigeon is a fig specialist that flies miles from its nest in order to feed 244 00:35:54,890 --> 00:35:58,195 The birds have waited for the banquet 245 00:35:58,196 --> 00:36:01,500 and they wouldn't be frightened off 246 00:36:24,990 --> 00:36:30,600 Back at its nest the green pigeon feeds its chicks on a milk of liquid figs 247 00:36:34,290 --> 00:36:38,290 In this way, the bounty of the tree is spread far and wide 248 00:36:45,600 --> 00:36:49,600 Some can smell the food from miles away 249 00:37:03,530 --> 00:37:09,100 Others live close by and while the queen is fruited visit every day 250 00:37:16,100 --> 00:37:19,900 Though there's so much on offer that the monkeys can be choosy 251 00:37:21,100 --> 00:37:24,900 They discard figs that are full of parasites 252 00:37:27,900 --> 00:37:33,400 With tiger beetles below, the wasps will be lucky to get airborne 253 00:37:48,550 --> 00:37:53,000 Some figs remain full of parasites 254 00:37:53,990 --> 00:37:57,590 Inside them all are dying 255 00:37:57,620 --> 00:38:02,120 for parasites need pollinator males to release them 256 00:38:03,810 --> 00:38:09,890 If the parasites have been too successful, they can hatch but never leave 257 00:38:12,340 --> 00:38:16,340 In this way, the parasite numbers are kept in check 258 00:38:24,380 --> 00:38:29,460 Across Africa, more animals eat figs than any other fruit 259 00:38:33,090 --> 00:38:38,110 Fig tress are so important because they fruit outside the normal fruiting season 260 00:38:39,850 --> 00:38:45,380 If they produced figs only once a year, the short-lived fig wasps would die out 261 00:38:46,270 --> 00:38:52,640 To maintain the population of pollinators each tree needs to fruit at random several times a year 262 00:38:53,680 --> 00:38:57,680 and this benefits every one 263 00:39:01,700 --> 00:39:05,700 In the heat, fig juice ferments into alcohol 264 00:39:05,740 --> 00:39:09,740 and the smell attracts a thirsty clientele 265 00:39:17,090 --> 00:39:20,869 The butterflies are normally shy and elusive 266 00:39:20,870 --> 00:39:26,330 but drinking alcohol through a straw has a predictable effect 267 00:39:50,810 --> 00:39:55,810 The inebriated insects are lucky 268 00:39:55,900 --> 00:39:59,990 as they don't taste very good and most can still manage to fly 269 00:40:18,760 --> 00:40:22,760 The queen's generosity extends beyond the tree 270 00:40:22,850 --> 00:40:27,550 for those she provides for, in turn, support others 271 00:40:37,850 --> 00:40:42,850 Wherever fish gather a crocodile is never far behind 272 00:41:05,950 --> 00:41:11,950 The croc sets its trap in fast water where the fish can't see its jaws 273 00:41:12,350 --> 00:41:17,250 It won't see the fish but it will react at the slightest stretch 274 00:41:32,750 --> 00:41:36,750 As figs are the bait the croc makes a lot of false strikes 275 00:41:46,950 --> 00:41:51,450 But as in any fishing, patience is essential 276 00:42:12,800 --> 00:42:20,400 Figs are sometimes eaten by people, but occasionally the tree has something sweeter to offer 277 00:42:27,460 --> 00:42:33,460 Traditionally fig wood is used to conjure fire for it's soft and smolder as well 278 00:42:38,020 --> 00:42:43,060 The wood in which the bees found sanctuary is now being used to against them 279 00:42:49,820 --> 00:42:52,820 Dry elephant dung is the tinder 280 00:43:19,140 --> 00:43:24,780 To gather honey the Maasai exploit the bees' instinctively response to smoke 281 00:43:30,270 --> 00:43:34,820 It's evolved to protect the colony in the event of forest fire 282 00:43:44,090 --> 00:43:47,840 When the bees smell smoke instead of defending the nest 283 00:43:47,841 --> 00:43:51,840 they gorge on honey and then flee 284 00:43:52,910 --> 00:43:58,910 In a fire it will be more important that they escaped so they could re-establish the colony elsewhere 285 00:44:04,270 --> 00:44:08,540 Normally even a single sting triggers an attack 286 00:44:09,270 --> 00:44:13,270 but with the smoke there is no reaction 287 00:44:17,350 --> 00:44:22,350 The fig's flowers had nothing to do with this honey 288 00:44:22,940 --> 00:44:25,780 The queen's exclusive relationship with her wasps 289 00:44:25,781 --> 00:44:29,205 means that her flowers never saw the sun 290 00:44:29,206 --> 00:44:32,630 and never had a visit from a bee 291 00:44:51,890 --> 00:44:59,690 Living by water helps spread the seeds as figs float downstream and sprout along the strand-line 292 00:44:59,750 --> 00:45:03,750 A tiny echo of the avenue they came from 293 00:45:07,150 --> 00:45:11,400 It can be a one-way ticket unless the seeds can get help 294 00:45:17,800 --> 00:45:21,800 Migrating catfish carry some backup stream 295 00:45:27,270 --> 00:45:33,210 A lucky few will be planted and fertilized 296 00:45:41,710 --> 00:45:45,610 Strangely, no siblings grow beneath the queen 297 00:45:45,611 --> 00:45:49,210 Despite the amount of fruit that falls 298 00:45:53,010 --> 00:45:54,860 Nothing geminates here 299 00:45:54,861 --> 00:45:56,709 not because of shade 300 00:45:56,710 --> 00:46:00,910 but because tiny seed-bugs steal all the seeds 301 00:46:02,010 --> 00:46:05,710 They are specialists that eat only fig seeds 302 00:46:18,710 --> 00:46:21,510 To perpetuate the royal line 303 00:46:21,520 --> 00:46:25,320 the queen needs help to get her seeds further afield 304 00:46:27,550 --> 00:46:32,220 It doesn't arrive until after dark 305 00:46:37,370 --> 00:46:40,940 Fruit bats are the most important seed dispersers 306 00:46:40,941 --> 00:46:43,320 They're less agile than birds 307 00:46:43,321 --> 00:46:45,700 so the queen makes access easier 308 00:46:45,701 --> 00:46:47,169 by dropping her leaves 309 00:46:47,170 --> 00:46:50,170 and hanging her figs clear of the branches 310 00:46:57,550 --> 00:47:01,910 Each bat needs to eat half its weight in fig pulp each night 311 00:47:04,050 --> 00:47:06,579 They eat little else 312 00:47:06,580 --> 00:47:12,220 and a diet of fig juice can result in an urge that requires immediate action 313 00:47:19,800 --> 00:47:25,600 Importantly for seed dispersal a bat rarely eats in the fig tree 314 00:47:25,640 --> 00:47:28,940 but carries the fig a short distance away 315 00:47:31,750 --> 00:47:34,190 It doesn't eat everything 316 00:47:34,191 --> 00:47:36,900 but sucks out the juice 317 00:47:36,901 --> 00:47:39,609 and discards the seeds 318 00:47:39,610 --> 00:47:44,670 So beneath its perch sprout tiny fig gardens 319 00:47:51,990 --> 00:47:58,070 During the night the female fig wasps have been traveling across Africa 320 00:47:59,290 --> 00:48:05,290 A few have found receptive figs by homing in on the scent from the secret garden 321 00:48:09,290 --> 00:48:13,290 To enter, the female must squeeze through the gate 322 00:48:17,500 --> 00:48:21,800 A wedge-shaped head will help pry it open 323 00:48:21,900 --> 00:48:26,600 but it's so tidy that her wings and antennae will be ripped from her 324 00:48:26,780 --> 00:48:31,860 and in the final push, she literally busts a gut 325 00:48:37,020 --> 00:48:43,020 She must lay her eggs before the nematodes she's carrying burst out and kill her 326 00:48:48,660 --> 00:48:54,660 Her final challenge is to negotiate a spiral valve that leads to the flowers 327 00:48:55,080 --> 00:48:59,080 It might take an hour and will need all her strength 328 00:49:07,590 --> 00:49:10,220 She will be alone in the garden 329 00:49:10,221 --> 00:49:13,885 for the gate is closing 330 00:49:13,886 --> 00:49:17,550 others arrived too late 331 00:49:20,400 --> 00:49:23,259 Inside she is in trouble 332 00:49:23,260 --> 00:49:27,260 the nematodes are breaking out 333 00:49:33,690 --> 00:49:36,169 She cannot last much longer 334 00:49:36,170 --> 00:49:40,170 but must still lay her eggs and complete her mission 335 00:49:43,280 --> 00:49:48,080 The tiny wasp's final act is to repay her debt to the queen 336 00:49:48,490 --> 00:49:53,020 to unpack the precious pollen and fertilize the flowers 337 00:49:53,750 --> 00:49:55,889 It is her gift 338 00:49:55,890 --> 00:50:02,890 and the culmination of millions of years of co-evolution between wasp and tree 339 00:50:07,160 --> 00:50:12,190 In perpetuating the relationship she makes the ultimate sacrifice 340 00:50:25,750 --> 00:50:30,980 The queen's figs have provided for animals from ants to elephants 341 00:50:32,780 --> 00:50:36,780 In traveling, they will disperse her seeds 342 00:50:41,430 --> 00:50:43,580 No seeds will germinate 343 00:50:43,581 --> 00:50:45,730 and somewhere in Africa 344 00:50:45,740 --> 00:50:47,579 where a bat perched 345 00:50:47,580 --> 00:50:50,530 or an elephant came to drink 346 00:50:50,531 --> 00:50:53,480 there will grow a fig tree 347 00:50:56,390 --> 00:51:00,249 In a few years it will sprout its first fig 348 00:51:00,250 --> 00:51:05,270 and the scent from that secret garden will touch a tiny wasp 349 00:51:05,271 --> 00:51:09,009 which will turn upwind in search of the source 350 00:51:09,010 --> 00:51:17,010 Once again, the two will come together and continue the extraordinary relationship 351 00:51:17,180 --> 00:51:21,180 that has provided for so many over millions of years 352 00:51:21,530 --> 00:51:29,630 Transcription by Andrew & Hattie