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Meet the Bug You Didn't Know You Were Eating

Season 11 Episode 6 | 5m 16s

The cochineal is a tiny insect deeply rooted in the history of Oaxaca, Mexico. Female cochineals spend most of their lives with their heads buried in juicy cactus pads, eating and growing. After cochineals die, their legacy lives on in the brilliant red hue produced by their hemolymph. Dyes made from cochineal have been used in textiles, paintings, and even in your food!

Aired: 05/07/24
Extras
After growing up inside a “grass taco,” a grass skipper butterfly emerges and woos a mate.
Excirolana chiltoni hang out in the wet sand at the beach and might nibble at your feet!
Green lacewings vibrate their bodies and sing to each other!
These bees are dedicated chefs! They make honey...and bread, bring you cherries, almonds and more!
These plants spend their whole life getting in just the right position.
Mosquitoes, ticks, lice, kissing bugs and tsetse flies are all looking to grab a bite ... of you.
Burying beetles haul mouse carcasses into the dirt and prep them to start a family.
Wandering salamanders can skydive in the branches of the tallest trees in the world.
The petroleum fly and their larvae thrive in the natural asphalt at the La Brea Tar Pits.
Six-rayed sea stars make great moms, caressing and protecting their babies for months!
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After growing up inside a “grass taco,” a grass skipper butterfly emerges and woos a mate.
Excirolana chiltoni hang out in the wet sand at the beach and might nibble at your feet!
Green lacewings vibrate their bodies and sing to each other!
These bees are dedicated chefs! They make honey...and bread, bring you cherries, almonds and more!
These plants spend their whole life getting in just the right position.
Mosquitoes, ticks, lice, kissing bugs and tsetse flies are all looking to grab a bite ... of you.
Burying beetles haul mouse carcasses into the dirt and prep them to start a family.
Wandering salamanders can skydive in the branches of the tallest trees in the world.
The petroleum fly and their larvae thrive in the natural asphalt at the La Brea Tar Pits.
Six-rayed sea stars make great moms, caressing and protecting their babies for months!