Summary
A sneaky fly waits until a solitary bee leaves, then dive-bombs its burrow to slip in its own eggs. Deep Look reveals a clever survival trick that comes at the bee's expense.
Viewer safety
This episode shows a predator catching and eating real prey (a normal part of nature science) -- preview if that might unsettle your class.
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Talk about it
Instead of building its own nest, this fly targets a bindweed bee's burrow. It flicks eggs toward the open hole so its larvae can grow on the food the bee stored. This trait -- letting another animal do the work -- gives the fly's young an advantage.
- How does the fly get its eggs into the bee's nest?
- Why doesn't the fly build a nest of its own?
- How does this behavior give the fly's babies an advantage?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: burrow, larva, parasite, advantage.
Try it: Draw a bee burrow with a fly flicking eggs toward it. Write how this trick helps the fly's young survive.