Mealworms, originally from the Mediterranean,
are now also global pests,
but that's because they're so good at doing their job;
as nature's clean-up crew.
(ambient sounds)
Different teams of cleaners
are called on for different jobs.
In the rainforests of Malaysia,
a jungle nymph gorges on a lovely, fresh flower.
But it's messy and squanders more than it eats.
(thud)
Below, the rainforest soil pulses
as the clean-up crew rallies.
In this case, Syrian cockroaches.
they live buried in loose soil
and begin to dismantle the wasted flower from below.
Everyone hates roaches, but in the wild
they are actually the good guys.
Hard working laborers on the clean-up crew.
Many populations of Syrian roaches
consist entirely of female clones
that can reproduce asexually.
So, soon build up into huge numbers.
All the better to get the job done quickly.
(consistent beat)
Attracted by the scent, African flower beetles
swarm over a piece of fallen fruit.
They normally get their sugar fix
from the sweet nectar in flowers.
So this is a huge sugary jackpot.
It pulls in a crowd.
They slurp up the concentrated fruit juice
and chew on the succulent flesh.
But some recyclers have to take on less appetizing jobs.
When a South American giant grasshopper molts
it discards it brittle exoskeleton.
(thud)
Not the most mouth watering meal,
but it still needs to get recycled.
Arriving ready for work; wood lice.
Wood lice normally recycle fragments of dead plants,
which are made of tough cellulose.
This exoskeleton is made of chitin,
a similar carbohydrate.
So wood louse's impressive digestive system
can extract nutrients even from this dried up husk.
Without nature's clean-up crew
the world would quickly drown in
rotting food, excrement and corpses.
This dead rodent is in need of disposal
and cockroaches are one of nature's undertakers.
The putrid stink of rotting flesh
is irresistible to the these South American cave roaches.
The roaches are so good at this job
they are one of the species of cockroaches
being used to turn human food waste into compost.
A process called blatty composting.
But nature's clean-up crew has already
made itself at home in our world, uninvited.
Food like rice, pasta, cereals is just dead plant matter
to some bugs in need of recycling.
Untidy pantries provide a feast
for mealworms that, given the chance,
infest our dried cereals and grains.
When they become adult beetles they mate right away.
Each female can lay 500 eggs.
A population explosion waiting to happen.
That's not good news in our homes.