Synopsis
David Attenborough looks at the role of a few of the millions of insect species, some of which have developed extremely close relationships with plants. Insects pollinate flowers and in some cases neither flower nor insect can survive without the other.
- Programme: Life On Earth
- Episode: 4: The Swarming Hordes
- Channel: BBC Two
- Broadcast year: 1979
- Biology | Ecology
Licence: ERA Licence required
UK only
Staff and students of licensed education establishments only
Cannot be adapted
Add Notes
More clips from Life On Earth
1: The Infinite Variety | Life On Earth
1: The Infinite Variety | Life On Earth
The first ever episode of the landmark natural history series Life on Earth. David Attenborough explores the wildlife and landscape t...
10: Themes and Variations | Life On Earth
10: Themes and Variations | Life On Earth
David Attenborough looks at some of the huge variety of mammals. The tree shrew has attracted great interest as it shows how mammal...
11: The Hunters and the Hunted | Life On Earth
11: The Hunters and the Hunted | Life On Earth
David Attenborough explores the eternal duel between the hunters and the hunted - one of the driving forces of evolution.
12: Life in the Trees | Life On Earth
12: Life in the Trees | Life On Earth
David Attenborough's now-legendary encounter with young gorillas is featured in this episode as he looks at the history of primates.
13: The Compulsive Communicators | Life On Earth
13: The Compulsive Communicators | Life On Earth
David Attenborough seeks to explain how we came to dominate life on earth, tracing the African origins of humans to nearly t...
2: Building Bodies | Life On Earth
2: Building Bodies | Life On Earth
Sir David Attenborough presents a revised version of the original wildlife series about the remarkable evolution of life on our planet. Th...
3: The First Forests | Life On Earth
3: The First Forests | Life On Earth
For most of Earth's history there was no life on land. But over 400 million years ago some tiny plants began an invasion from the water,...
5: Conquest of the Waters | Life On Earth
5: Conquest of the Waters | Life On Earth
Fish occur in populations of billions and there are over 30,000 species, more than in any other group of backboned animals. The dev...
6: Invasion Of The Land | Life On Earth
6: Invasion Of The Land | Life On Earth
Some 350 million years ago, evolution reached one of its most crucial stages when fish crawled from the water onto the land and becam...
7: Victors of the Dry Land | Life On Earth
7: Victors of the Dry Land | Life On Earth
David Attenborough looks at the history of reptiles, the first back-boned creatures to solve the problems of living high and dry o...
8: Lords of the Air | Life On Earth
8: Lords of the Air | Life On Earth
The story of life, from the first primitive cells to the plants and animals that live around us. David Attenborough looks at the advantag...
9: The Rise Of The Mammals | Life On Earth
9: The Rise Of The Mammals | Life On Earth
Mammals have proved to be one of the most adaptable products of evolution. David Attenborough looks at their evolution from reptil...
The Beginning of Life | Life on Earth
The Beginning of Life | Life on Earth
David Attenborough explains the origins of life on earth, starting over three and a half thousand million years ago.
More resources about Living Things and Their Habitats
Greenhouse Gases | Climate Change: The Facts
Greenhouse Gases | Climate Change: The Facts
A discussion of the devastating impact of burning fossil fuels.
Meat: A Threat to Our Planet?
Meat: A Threat to Our Planet?
From colossal farms in America to the destruction of the Amazon, Liz Bonnin investigates how our hunger for meat is killing our planet.
9: The Rise Of The Mammals | Life On Earth
9: The Rise Of The Mammals | Life On Earth
Mammals have proved to be one of the most adaptable products of evolution. David Attenborough looks at their evolution from reptil...
Carbon in the ocean | Royal Institution Christmas Lectures
Carbon in the ocean | Royal Institution Christmas Lectures
Dr Helen Czerski explains how carbon is incorporated into the ocean and how the increase in carbon intake is impac...
Plants in cold environments | The Private Life of Plants
Plants in cold environments | The Private Life of Plants
David Attenborough describes how certain plant species adapt to cold weather.
3: Coral Reefs | Blue Planet II
3: Coral Reefs | Blue Planet II
The wildlife documentary series narrated by David Attenborough reveals the ingenious ways life exists in the undersea cities of tropical reefs.
4: Big Blue | Blue Planet II
4: Big Blue | Blue Planet II
The wildlife documentary series narrated by David Attenborough explores a vast ocean desert where sperm whales must dive 1,000 metres just to feed.
Cattle feedyard | Meat: A Threat to Our Planet?
Cattle feedyard | Meat: A Threat to Our Planet?
Liz Bonnin visits a cattle feedyard, a mass factory farm, that contains about 50,000 cows.
Cotton production and the Aral Sea crisis | Stacey Dooley
Cotton production and the Aral Sea crisis | Stacey Dooley
Stacey Dooley visits the Aral Sea Basin in Kazakhstan, which has almost entirely dried up due to cotton production.
Piling on pounds | Life
Piling on pounds | Life
Brown bears take advantage of a salmon run to fatten up for the winter.
Sustainable meat production | Meat: A Threat to Our Planet?
Sustainable meat production | Meat: A Threat to Our Planet?
Liz Bonnin discusses the importance of understanding the process behind the meat we eat (warning: this clip conta...
The carbon cycle and global warming | Royal Institution Christmas Lectures
The carbon cycle and global warming | Royal Institution Christmas Lectures
The carbon cycle process is being overwhelmed by the amount of carbon dioxide released into the at...
The smallest fox with the biggest ears! | Super Cute Animals (video)
The smallest fox with the biggest ears! | Super Cute Animals (video)
The fennec's ears help it to survive in the heat of the desert dunes.
1: One Ocean | Blue Planet II
1: One Ocean | Blue Planet II
Wildlife documentary series presented by David Attenborough, revealing new worlds and animal behaviours throughout the planet's oceans.
6: Coasts | Blue Planet II
6: Coasts | Blue Planet II
The wildlife series narrated by David Attenborough explores the planet's coasts. They are the most changeable of the ocean worlds, but they offer ...
A wheelie good defence | Africa
A wheelie good defence | Africa
A golden wheel spider escapes the threat of a pompilid spider wasp in an amazing way.
Amazon deforestation | Meat: A Threat to Our Planet?
Amazon deforestation | Meat: A Threat to Our Planet?
Liz Bonnin witnesses the devastation of the Amazon rainforest from the sky.
Biodiversity | Our World
Biodiversity | Our World
A team of botanists from Kew discuss the importance of protecting biodiversity.
Biodiversity loss | Extinction: The Facts
Biodiversity loss | Extinction: The Facts
An exploration of the devastating impacts of the loss of insect and plant biodiversity.
Can Scientists Save the World? | Panorama
Can Scientists Save the World? | Panorama
Richard Bilton meets the scientists trying to save the world from the consequences of climate change and investigates whether they...
More from Sir David Attenborough
8: Heroes | Planet Earth III
8: Heroes | Planet Earth III
Sir David Attenborough introduces conservation heroes fighting to save the world's wildlife, from exploring remote jungles to going undercover t...
The mystery of the whale shark nursery | Blue Planet II
The mystery of the whale shark nursery | Blue Planet II
Nutrients from the deep provide sustenance for a large gathering of sea life.
Ants vs Cows | Natural World
Ants vs Cows | Natural World
The super colony unites in a spectacular attack to defend their nest from curious cows.
3: Jungles | Planet Earth II
3: Jungles | Planet Earth II
Jungles provide the richest habitats on the planet - mysterious worlds of high drama where extraordinary animals attempt to survive in the most ...
Lizard Heaters | Life in Cold Blood
Lizard Heaters | Life in Cold Blood
Wall lizards take advantage of foul-smelling dead-horse arums.
How Many People Can Live on Planet Earth? | Horizon
How Many People Can Live on Planet Earth? | Horizon
Naturalist Sir David Attenborough investigates whether the world faces a population crisis and if it is the duty of indiv...
7: Great Plains | Planet Earth
7: Great Plains | Planet Earth
Documentary series which celebrates Earth in its natural glory. A look at the great plains - wildernesses which support the greatest gathering...
Weighty wanderers | Life in the Freezer
Weighty wanderers | Life in the Freezer
With a wingspan of over 3m, the wandering albatross has the biggest feeding range of any bird. Throughout the winter they remain in n...
Our Precious Isles | Wild Isles
Our Precious Isles | Wild Isles
David Attenborough celebrates the rich variety of habitats in our wild isles, the existence of which is critical for the survival of species ...
4: Desert Worlds | The Green Planet
4: Desert Worlds | The Green Planet
Desert plants spend decades in suspended animation waiting for rain, or they travel to find it. They survive using weapons, camouflage an...
David Attenborough | The Queen's Platinum Jubilee
David Attenborough | The Queen's Platinum Jubilee
David Attenborough speaks about the environment. Also, includes footage of the drones that turn into animals.
Greta meets David Attenborough | Greta Thunberg: A Year to Change the World
Greta meets David Attenborough | Greta Thunberg: A Year to Change the World
Greta Thunberg and David Attenborough discuss their hopes for the future of the planet.
COP26 delegates and climate scientists | Climate Change: The Facts
COP26 delegates and climate scientists | Climate Change: The Facts
COP26 delegates and climate scientist Hannah Cloke discuss their hopes for the COP26 conference.
The People v Climate Change
The People v Climate Change
Meet the 108 ordinary Brits who Sir David Attenborough says we should listen to. This warm and honest documentary reveals how everyday people fee...
Leopard seal vs penguin | Seven Worlds, One Planet
Leopard seal vs penguin | Seven Worlds, One Planet
Glaciers crumbling more quickly, due to climate change, give the advantage to leopard seals hunting penguins.
Poison dart frogs battle it out | Attenborough's Life in Colour
Poison dart frogs battle it out | Attenborough's Life in Colour
A poison dart frog fights off a contender until he's sufficiently warned off.
The Weddell seal's adaptations | Life
The Weddell seal's adaptations | Life
The Weddell seal is perfectly adapted to survive in the environment it must endure.
Biodiversity loss | Extinction: The Facts
Biodiversity loss | Extinction: The Facts
An exploration of the devastating impacts of the loss of insect and plant biodiversity.
David, The Ruler | Dynasties
David, The Ruler | Dynasties
One strong and determined leader, David, rules the land, but can trust no one.
Marine predators and scavengers | The Blue Planet
Marine predators and scavengers | The Blue Planet
The scavengers of the deep ocean rely on predators at the surface to provide their nutrition.