[Music]
okay this bee seems confused
that leaf she's gnawing on is no flower
[Music]
but this is an alfalfa leaf cutting bee
she needs hunks of leaves to build her
nest
[Music]
a lot of them
all this is her lacy handiwork
[Music]
she hauls the pieces back home leaf
cutters use them to line the inside of
their nest
[Music]
in nature she might use a nook and
cranny in a log
but here her nest is in what's basically
a b apartment building
a high-rise made of styrofoam
[Music]
these markings help the bee find her way
back to her personal condo
you know like 7b
[Music]
and furnishing it takes a while because
see that pile
[Music]
these are the pieces they dropped
[Music]
the bees are here to work in this
alfalfa field in california
they're from europe originally but
farmers here use them because they have
a real knack for pollinating alfalfa
flowers
which grow tiny seeds inside these curly
pods
[Music]
farmers use the seeds to plant new
fields of alfalfa
which is grown to make hay
to feed these gals
so really your glass of milk comes
courtesy of these bees
[Music]
but pollinating alfalfa flowers is a lot
trickier than it looks
even honeybees can't really hack it
here's why
alfalfa keeps its pollen locked away
inside its flowers
to get it the bees have to step on a
spring-loaded petal called a keel petal
here's how it works
[Music]
pop it releases this column that has the
pollen at the end
it's called tripping the flower
[Music]
here it is again the column has some
force
the bee might get a good thwack in the
face
leaf cutting bees just don't care they
can take a punch
pop
[Music]
pop
[Music]
honey bees don't really like to tangle
with that
they'll usually step around gingerly
trying to sip nectar from the side
without setting it off
leaf cutting bees get coated in pollen
and bring it back home to their nest so
they can pack it in there to feed their
growing babies
each one is bundled in a little
leaf-wrapped bassinet
[Music]
ah there they are
the siblings all lined up together
a new generation of the toughest little
bees around
hi it's lauren we want to do something
extra special a filming expedition to
oaxaca mexico if just one in 1 000 of
you support us on patreon this trip is
totally on
let's do this link in the description
one more thing our partner pbs digital
studios wants to hear from you it's a
survey so we can make even better shows
it takes about 10 minutes and you might
win a sweet t-shirt that link is also in
the description
thanks