Between 5 and 10 million different kinds, maybe ten quintillion individuals, there's absolutely no doubt that we're living on Planet Insect. Insects live the most extraordinary lives, many of them revealed for the first time.

Insects are very good at making more insects - but it's not easy. Insects are tiny creatures living in a big world. Partners must find each other to mate, and the next generation must survive in a huge, dangerous world.

Social insects - ants, bees, wasps, and termites - are incredibly successful. By some estimates, the weight of ants equals that of humanity, and that of termites equals terrestrial vertebrates.