What we need to know about pollinators

Insects are often underestimated due to their tiny appearance, but little do we know that they play a vital role in our ecosystem.

According to an episode of "Born to be Wild," butterflies, fig wasps, weevils and bees are among the insects that pollinate plants and are responsible for sustaining our ecosystem.

Their mission: to help plants reproduce.

If not for them, we would not be able to eat our favorite fruits and enjoy our favorite fruit drinks.

When it sips a flower's nectar, a butterfly picks up pollen which it then transfers to another plant, helping it pollinate the species.

The butterfly's way of living is also the way it helps the ecosystem.

Butterflies also use their colorful wings to attract a partner for mating. After mating, it will leave its eggs to its host plant and in a span of four to five days, the egg will become a caterpillar.

The caterpillar will need to eat and grow until it is ready to become a pupa, which will eventually turns out to be a graceful butterfly.

Meanwhile, in order to pollinate a plant, a fig wasp enters a fig fruit with its pollen and lays its eggs inside.

The pollen brought by fig wasps is a big help to help the fig fruit ripen.

However, it's not everyday that fig wasps are successful with this activity since parasites such as maggots usually come in first inside the fruit.

If maggots are able to enter the fig fruit, it will already be out of use for animals in the forest. The fig wasp will also not be able to help the fruit to ripen.

On the other hand, while many insects are able to fly around, weevils are able to pollinate using their sticky feet and their ability to transfer from one leaf to another.

Upon eating the leaf, pollen stick to weevils' bodies and when they transfer to another plant, they are able to leave pollen on it.

Lastly, despite its harmful sting, bees are also an essential part of our ecosystem's pollination.

Bees, which are considered the greatest pollinators, collect nectar and pollen from the flower of a plant.

During its collection, some of the pollen stick to the hairs of its body that when it visits another flower, some of the pollen it collected are transferred to the flower, which helps it pollinate or their means to reproduce.

Watch this Born to be Wild episode to find out more about the pollinators in our ecosystem. —Ma. Angelica Garcia/LDF, GMA News