A Real Bug's Life (2024) s01e03 Episode Script
The Busy Farm
1
♪
♪
[birds singing]
At last, winter is over.
And this English farm
[crows]
is slowly coming
back to life.
An extra fluffy bumblebee
is waking up
after an eight-month
hibernation.
She's no ordinary bee;
she's a queen.
[gasps]
Your Majesty!
But this is no time
for ceremony.
[clucking]
Chickens make
terrible roommates.
♪
Time to get out of here.
[squawking]
But she's too cold
to fly the coop.
[squawking]
Dislocating her wing muscles
and shivering them rapidly
raises her body temperature
just enough for her to--
♪
That's no way to treat royalty!
♪
Let's try that again.
♪
[buzzing]
And she's off.
♪
From now till
the end of summer,
this bee is gonna be busy.
And so are all the other bugs
on the farm.
The good times won't last long.
So they must rush to complete
a life's worth of work
before their time runs out.
♪
♪
The first weeks of spring
are all about preparation.
The queen must gather as much
nectar and pollen as she can,
to fuel up for busy days ahead.
♪
♪
Along the way she helps
pollinate the flowers
so they can turn
into fruit later.
Mmm, strawberry.
♪
But this is the last time
she'll ever work in the fields.
She has royal duties
to attend to.
And this old hay barn
could be the perfect spot
to make a nest.
'Cause our little queen
is about to become a mom.
♪
[engine starts]
New life is starting
all around the farm,
and the farmer helps it along,
by leaving the place a little
rough around the edges.
It's an ideal nursery for these
500 orb-weaver spiderlings.
No bigger than a grain of sand.
Adorable.
Only a few days old,
it's already time
for this intrepid youngster
to leave home.
Byeee!
♪
Gotta get all the way up there.
♪
It's an epic climb
for eight little legs.
But she has a plan.
Up here is the perfect place
to deploy her spider girl
superpower.
A single strand of silk.
Stronger than steel,
but light enough
to float on the breeze.
[wind blowing]
Ballooning spiders can travel
thousands of miles this way.
♪
But why go so far
♪
when the perfect place
is right here on the farm?
♪
♪
Ahh. This place again.
The old hay barn.
[screech]
All sorts of creatures
make a home here.
[screeching]
Some are not so easy
to live with.
A tiny terminator
is on the hunt
with ultrasonic hearing.
[whispering]
Just don't make a sound.
[cricket chirps]
A Eurasian shrew can kill
up to 35 bugs a day.
♪
♪
So, he'll be back.
[squeaking]
Best stay out of his way.
Especially now.
Because deep in the hay,
the queen's hiding
something very precious.
♪
A tiny golden cradle.
And inside,
her hopes for the future.
Keeping her baby warm
helps it grow.
And nothing speeds up
incubation like a hug from mom.
♪
♪
♪
Her first daughter.
Hopefully the first of many.
Over the next few months,
she could have hundreds.
♪
♪
♪
Late spring.
Flowers are beginning to bloom.
And crops are
coming along nicely.
♪
But not all that's
growing is good.
There are freeloaders
on this farm.
♪
This doodlebug grub
has been munching on roots
for three years.
Yeah. Three years.
♪
♪
One beetle larva can only do
so much damage.
But soon he'll transform
into an adult doodlebug
and try to spawn a whole army
of crop munchers.
♪
Up above, the pest problem
is already out of control.
Aphids!
They may look cute,
but these sap-suckers could
destroy the whole garden.
Veggie vampires.
They're no bigger
than a pinhead,
but what they lack in size,
they make up for in numbers.
You see, aphids can
clone themselves
and fast.
Babies are born
already pregnant.
So, mothers give birth
to daughters and granddaughters
at the same time.
[pop]
Oh, man, that's too much.
[squish]
Each aphid can pump out
80 more in a week.
In a month,
one can become 40 million.
♪
Pesticides struggle to keep up.
♪
But this farmer
has a secret weapon.
A more natural approach.
An aphid assassin.
♪
Ready for deployment.
♪
The plant is releasing
a chemical distress call.
It helps lead the ladybug
to her target.
And what's this?
Honeydew.
Mmm, sounds delicious.
Till you know
where it comes from.
Aphid anuses.
[plop]
But this ladybug loves it.
And it tells her
the enemy is close.
♪
Jackpot!
Aphid HQ.
♪
But she can only eat so much.
Maybe next time
go easier on the butt juice.
It's all good.
She's hatching a plan.
Lay some eggs nearby
and wait for backup to arrive.
Things are also developing
nicely over in the barn.
After two months,
our little spiderling
is now 400 times bigger.
Ah, they grow up so fast.
And now she can weave wonders.
♪
Every day she creates
one of the most elaborate
structures in nature.
In just one hour,
she spins 30 yards of silk.
[boing]
After weaving
2,500 attachments,
her masterpiece is complete.
Her trap is set.
Just below,
it's horsey spa time.
There's healthy snacks.
Mmm, hay!
And a fab grooming service.
But it's hard to relax
when you're getting
unwanted attention.
♪
This farm is a breeding ground
for blood-sucking stable flies.
♪
Using a sharp,
stabby proboscis
♪
[neigh]
they drink triple
their body weight in blood.
♪
And, man, that bite hurts.
[stab]
[whinny]
[buzzing]
Got one!
♪
♪
Wrap it in silk,
paralyze it with venom,
then liquefy it
with digestive vomit.
Mmm! The sickest
stable fly smoothie.
Delicious.
Okay, so her
table manners suck,
but she's a keen member of
the farm's pest control team.
♪
And she's sure
to keep up the good work,
because the more she eats now,
the more eggs she'll lay later.
♪
[buzzing]
Deep in the hay,
the queen has also
been hard at work.
♪
During her lifetime,
she could lay up to 1,000 eggs,
which hatch into larvae;
babies.
Up to 15 are born every day.
Now, she has a family
of 400 daughters.
Dealing with so many kids
requires some
creative parenting.
The queen keeps
her daughters in line
by releasing a pheromone
that stops them
from reproducing
and keeps them working.
Might sound controlling,
but there's a lot
of mouths to feed.
♪
They have to find food nonstop.
So, they're all
making a beeline
for one special place.
[birds singing]
The farm's wildflower meadow.
Full of sweet, sugary treats.
[buzzing]
A bumblebee can visit
1,000 flowers an hour.
♪
Pollen gets stuck
all over them.
So, as they go
about their work,
they help transfer it
from flower to flower
making sure they'll bloom
next year, too.
♪
♪
But now there are so many
flowers to visit
[hoot]
the pollination patrol
needs a night shift.
[hooting]
♪
♪
This hot pink
elephant hawk moth
has a fabulous talent.
Stunning!
But it's not his wings.
No, the real magic
is in his eyes.
♪
♪
Elephant hawk moths were
the first animals discovered
to have full color
night vision.
♪
It makes him a bit of a VIP
in the insect world,
because he's fantastic
at finding flowers in the dark.
♪
Some nocturnal bugs
play a crucial role
pollinating flowers and crops.
But others are more
the destructive type.
After three years
devouring roots in the soil,
the doodlebug's terrible
transformation is complete.
♪
From greedy grub
to beastly beetle.
♪
Aw, he's kinda cute now!
But don't be fooled.
He only has one thing
on his mind:
making more
crop-destroying doodlebugs.
Yep, he's out looking for love.
And those adorable antennae
give him his pickup superpower.
♪
Mm-hmm.
He's feeling
the feminine pheromones.
They're lifting him higher.
♪
♪
Even though he's never
flown before,
thanks to millions of years
of evolution,
somehow, he instinctively--
[splat]
[water boiling]
[timer ticking]
Yo, doodle! Get off your back.
The clock's ticking.
[ticking]
♪
[gasps]
A female!
Gotta make a good
first impression.
[bonk]
Nice landing.
Now, let's just hope
she likes him.
♪
♪
Oh.
Oh, okay.
I guess she likes him.
And our little Casanova
even has a few moves.
♪
♪
Hey, this is a family show!
[music stops]
♪
The female will go lay
their 80 eggs in the soil.
More little root munchers,
ready for next year.
But now this little lover
wants more.
♪
Classic doodlebug.
Oh, well.
Once he's back on his feet,
he could mate every night
of his short life
and become a real player
on the pest scene.
♪
Or maybe not.
[rooster crows]
[clucking]
Summer is in full swing.
But no vacation for the bees.
♪
Or anyone else.
The meadow is now
full of tiny creatures
all making the most
of plentiful times.
But this ain't no picnic.
[bird chirping]
When you're focused on feeding,
you're an easy target.
♪
This hobby has flown
all the way from Africa
to feast on this bug bonanza.
[gulp]
♪
♪
When she's above,
best stay low.
♪
But the queen's loyal air force
have to keep
the food coming in.
Good thing they can fly
at 30 miles an hour.
Problem is,
hobbies are twice as fast.
♪
♪
Many sisters will be
lost this summer.
But thanks to queen and colony,
they always have
numbers on their side.
♪
Speaking of numbers,
the aphid population
has exploded.
Now that winged adults
are developing,
they're ready to spread
all over the vegetable garden.
♪
But just in time,
the ladybug backup plan
is hatching.
[popping]
Her beautiful babies.
Ew!
Late bloomers.
Right now,
all they want to do is eat.
♪
Each ladybug might devour
5,000 aphids in its life.
Sucking them dry
like a kid's juice box.
♪
Oh, a baby!
♪
As quick as aphids
are pumped out,
they get gobbled up.
Natural pest control.
And before anyone
thinks of flying away,
mom takes them out.
For the rest of the summer,
this is a real bug's life.
Everyone's rushing
to make the most
of what little time
they have left.
♪
♪
As summer draws to a close,
our spider stops
catching flies.
All that hard work,
building to this moment.
Soft, strong,
and high out of harm's way,
she's spinning a tiny cradle
♪
for 500 precious eggs.
She won't survive the winter,
but this fluffy blanket
will protect them.
She's given them
the best possible start.
♪
Her work is done.
♪
[buzzing]
Down below in the nest,
the colony is bigger than ever.
But now, the aging queen is
producing her last babies.
They're fed extra
pollen portions
so they grow bigger
than ordinary workers.
The chosen few, destined
to continue the queen's legacy,
if they survive.
♪
♪
The tiny terminator
has found their nest.
If he breaks in,
it's hasta la vista, babies.
But when bumblebees
sense carbon dioxide
from a predator's breath,
they all rally together
and turn the volume up.
[loud buzzing]
[squeaking]
♪
Looks like this time
♪
[squeak]
he won't be back.
♪
[birds chirping]
The last days of summer.
[engine starts]
Time to find out if everyone's
hard work has paid off.
♪
It's a mega harvest
at the vegetable garden.
Mmm, strawberry.
And now that the meadow
is being cut for hay,
there's plenty of food
to last the horses all winter.
And thanks to all
the pollinators,
the meadow will rise again
next year.
That's how things
work around here.
When little creatures
are welcomed,
they help create
a farm full of life,
that keeps its own balance.
♪
Great job, guys!
It's a natural approach
that's more successful
and more sustainable.
But not all things
last forever.
♪
The royal mission is complete.
The monumental effort
has taken its toll.
♪
Her daughters gently
carry her from the nest.
A funeral fit for a queen.
♪
But her death is not the end.
♪
It's a new beginning.
Young queens are emerging
with hopes of starting
colonies of their own.
♪
They'll spread far and wide,
and wait until next spring,
when work on the farm
starts all over again.
♪
♪
[birds singing]
At last, winter is over.
And this English farm
[crows]
is slowly coming
back to life.
An extra fluffy bumblebee
is waking up
after an eight-month
hibernation.
She's no ordinary bee;
she's a queen.
[gasps]
Your Majesty!
But this is no time
for ceremony.
[clucking]
Chickens make
terrible roommates.
♪
Time to get out of here.
[squawking]
But she's too cold
to fly the coop.
[squawking]
Dislocating her wing muscles
and shivering them rapidly
raises her body temperature
just enough for her to--
♪
That's no way to treat royalty!
♪
Let's try that again.
♪
[buzzing]
And she's off.
♪
From now till
the end of summer,
this bee is gonna be busy.
And so are all the other bugs
on the farm.
The good times won't last long.
So they must rush to complete
a life's worth of work
before their time runs out.
♪
♪
The first weeks of spring
are all about preparation.
The queen must gather as much
nectar and pollen as she can,
to fuel up for busy days ahead.
♪
♪
Along the way she helps
pollinate the flowers
so they can turn
into fruit later.
Mmm, strawberry.
♪
But this is the last time
she'll ever work in the fields.
She has royal duties
to attend to.
And this old hay barn
could be the perfect spot
to make a nest.
'Cause our little queen
is about to become a mom.
♪
[engine starts]
New life is starting
all around the farm,
and the farmer helps it along,
by leaving the place a little
rough around the edges.
It's an ideal nursery for these
500 orb-weaver spiderlings.
No bigger than a grain of sand.
Adorable.
Only a few days old,
it's already time
for this intrepid youngster
to leave home.
Byeee!
♪
Gotta get all the way up there.
♪
It's an epic climb
for eight little legs.
But she has a plan.
Up here is the perfect place
to deploy her spider girl
superpower.
A single strand of silk.
Stronger than steel,
but light enough
to float on the breeze.
[wind blowing]
Ballooning spiders can travel
thousands of miles this way.
♪
But why go so far
♪
when the perfect place
is right here on the farm?
♪
♪
Ahh. This place again.
The old hay barn.
[screech]
All sorts of creatures
make a home here.
[screeching]
Some are not so easy
to live with.
A tiny terminator
is on the hunt
with ultrasonic hearing.
[whispering]
Just don't make a sound.
[cricket chirps]
A Eurasian shrew can kill
up to 35 bugs a day.
♪
♪
So, he'll be back.
[squeaking]
Best stay out of his way.
Especially now.
Because deep in the hay,
the queen's hiding
something very precious.
♪
A tiny golden cradle.
And inside,
her hopes for the future.
Keeping her baby warm
helps it grow.
And nothing speeds up
incubation like a hug from mom.
♪
♪
♪
Her first daughter.
Hopefully the first of many.
Over the next few months,
she could have hundreds.
♪
♪
♪
Late spring.
Flowers are beginning to bloom.
And crops are
coming along nicely.
♪
But not all that's
growing is good.
There are freeloaders
on this farm.
♪
This doodlebug grub
has been munching on roots
for three years.
Yeah. Three years.
♪
♪
One beetle larva can only do
so much damage.
But soon he'll transform
into an adult doodlebug
and try to spawn a whole army
of crop munchers.
♪
Up above, the pest problem
is already out of control.
Aphids!
They may look cute,
but these sap-suckers could
destroy the whole garden.
Veggie vampires.
They're no bigger
than a pinhead,
but what they lack in size,
they make up for in numbers.
You see, aphids can
clone themselves
and fast.
Babies are born
already pregnant.
So, mothers give birth
to daughters and granddaughters
at the same time.
[pop]
Oh, man, that's too much.
[squish]
Each aphid can pump out
80 more in a week.
In a month,
one can become 40 million.
♪
Pesticides struggle to keep up.
♪
But this farmer
has a secret weapon.
A more natural approach.
An aphid assassin.
♪
Ready for deployment.
♪
The plant is releasing
a chemical distress call.
It helps lead the ladybug
to her target.
And what's this?
Honeydew.
Mmm, sounds delicious.
Till you know
where it comes from.
Aphid anuses.
[plop]
But this ladybug loves it.
And it tells her
the enemy is close.
♪
Jackpot!
Aphid HQ.
♪
But she can only eat so much.
Maybe next time
go easier on the butt juice.
It's all good.
She's hatching a plan.
Lay some eggs nearby
and wait for backup to arrive.
Things are also developing
nicely over in the barn.
After two months,
our little spiderling
is now 400 times bigger.
Ah, they grow up so fast.
And now she can weave wonders.
♪
Every day she creates
one of the most elaborate
structures in nature.
In just one hour,
she spins 30 yards of silk.
[boing]
After weaving
2,500 attachments,
her masterpiece is complete.
Her trap is set.
Just below,
it's horsey spa time.
There's healthy snacks.
Mmm, hay!
And a fab grooming service.
But it's hard to relax
when you're getting
unwanted attention.
♪
This farm is a breeding ground
for blood-sucking stable flies.
♪
Using a sharp,
stabby proboscis
♪
[neigh]
they drink triple
their body weight in blood.
♪
And, man, that bite hurts.
[stab]
[whinny]
[buzzing]
Got one!
♪
♪
Wrap it in silk,
paralyze it with venom,
then liquefy it
with digestive vomit.
Mmm! The sickest
stable fly smoothie.
Delicious.
Okay, so her
table manners suck,
but she's a keen member of
the farm's pest control team.
♪
And she's sure
to keep up the good work,
because the more she eats now,
the more eggs she'll lay later.
♪
[buzzing]
Deep in the hay,
the queen has also
been hard at work.
♪
During her lifetime,
she could lay up to 1,000 eggs,
which hatch into larvae;
babies.
Up to 15 are born every day.
Now, she has a family
of 400 daughters.
Dealing with so many kids
requires some
creative parenting.
The queen keeps
her daughters in line
by releasing a pheromone
that stops them
from reproducing
and keeps them working.
Might sound controlling,
but there's a lot
of mouths to feed.
♪
They have to find food nonstop.
So, they're all
making a beeline
for one special place.
[birds singing]
The farm's wildflower meadow.
Full of sweet, sugary treats.
[buzzing]
A bumblebee can visit
1,000 flowers an hour.
♪
Pollen gets stuck
all over them.
So, as they go
about their work,
they help transfer it
from flower to flower
making sure they'll bloom
next year, too.
♪
♪
But now there are so many
flowers to visit
[hoot]
the pollination patrol
needs a night shift.
[hooting]
♪
♪
This hot pink
elephant hawk moth
has a fabulous talent.
Stunning!
But it's not his wings.
No, the real magic
is in his eyes.
♪
♪
Elephant hawk moths were
the first animals discovered
to have full color
night vision.
♪
It makes him a bit of a VIP
in the insect world,
because he's fantastic
at finding flowers in the dark.
♪
Some nocturnal bugs
play a crucial role
pollinating flowers and crops.
But others are more
the destructive type.
After three years
devouring roots in the soil,
the doodlebug's terrible
transformation is complete.
♪
From greedy grub
to beastly beetle.
♪
Aw, he's kinda cute now!
But don't be fooled.
He only has one thing
on his mind:
making more
crop-destroying doodlebugs.
Yep, he's out looking for love.
And those adorable antennae
give him his pickup superpower.
♪
Mm-hmm.
He's feeling
the feminine pheromones.
They're lifting him higher.
♪
♪
Even though he's never
flown before,
thanks to millions of years
of evolution,
somehow, he instinctively--
[splat]
[water boiling]
[timer ticking]
Yo, doodle! Get off your back.
The clock's ticking.
[ticking]
♪
[gasps]
A female!
Gotta make a good
first impression.
[bonk]
Nice landing.
Now, let's just hope
she likes him.
♪
♪
Oh.
Oh, okay.
I guess she likes him.
And our little Casanova
even has a few moves.
♪
♪
Hey, this is a family show!
[music stops]
♪
The female will go lay
their 80 eggs in the soil.
More little root munchers,
ready for next year.
But now this little lover
wants more.
♪
Classic doodlebug.
Oh, well.
Once he's back on his feet,
he could mate every night
of his short life
and become a real player
on the pest scene.
♪
Or maybe not.
[rooster crows]
[clucking]
Summer is in full swing.
But no vacation for the bees.
♪
Or anyone else.
The meadow is now
full of tiny creatures
all making the most
of plentiful times.
But this ain't no picnic.
[bird chirping]
When you're focused on feeding,
you're an easy target.
♪
This hobby has flown
all the way from Africa
to feast on this bug bonanza.
[gulp]
♪
♪
When she's above,
best stay low.
♪
But the queen's loyal air force
have to keep
the food coming in.
Good thing they can fly
at 30 miles an hour.
Problem is,
hobbies are twice as fast.
♪
♪
Many sisters will be
lost this summer.
But thanks to queen and colony,
they always have
numbers on their side.
♪
Speaking of numbers,
the aphid population
has exploded.
Now that winged adults
are developing,
they're ready to spread
all over the vegetable garden.
♪
But just in time,
the ladybug backup plan
is hatching.
[popping]
Her beautiful babies.
Ew!
Late bloomers.
Right now,
all they want to do is eat.
♪
Each ladybug might devour
5,000 aphids in its life.
Sucking them dry
like a kid's juice box.
♪
Oh, a baby!
♪
As quick as aphids
are pumped out,
they get gobbled up.
Natural pest control.
And before anyone
thinks of flying away,
mom takes them out.
For the rest of the summer,
this is a real bug's life.
Everyone's rushing
to make the most
of what little time
they have left.
♪
♪
As summer draws to a close,
our spider stops
catching flies.
All that hard work,
building to this moment.
Soft, strong,
and high out of harm's way,
she's spinning a tiny cradle
♪
for 500 precious eggs.
She won't survive the winter,
but this fluffy blanket
will protect them.
She's given them
the best possible start.
♪
Her work is done.
♪
[buzzing]
Down below in the nest,
the colony is bigger than ever.
But now, the aging queen is
producing her last babies.
They're fed extra
pollen portions
so they grow bigger
than ordinary workers.
The chosen few, destined
to continue the queen's legacy,
if they survive.
♪
♪
The tiny terminator
has found their nest.
If he breaks in,
it's hasta la vista, babies.
But when bumblebees
sense carbon dioxide
from a predator's breath,
they all rally together
and turn the volume up.
[loud buzzing]
[squeaking]
♪
Looks like this time
♪
[squeak]
he won't be back.
♪
[birds chirping]
The last days of summer.
[engine starts]
Time to find out if everyone's
hard work has paid off.
♪
It's a mega harvest
at the vegetable garden.
Mmm, strawberry.
And now that the meadow
is being cut for hay,
there's plenty of food
to last the horses all winter.
And thanks to all
the pollinators,
the meadow will rise again
next year.
That's how things
work around here.
When little creatures
are welcomed,
they help create
a farm full of life,
that keeps its own balance.
♪
Great job, guys!
It's a natural approach
that's more successful
and more sustainable.
But not all things
last forever.
♪
The royal mission is complete.
The monumental effort
has taken its toll.
♪
Her daughters gently
carry her from the nest.
A funeral fit for a queen.
♪
But her death is not the end.
♪
It's a new beginning.
Young queens are emerging
with hopes of starting
colonies of their own.
♪
They'll spread far and wide,
and wait until next spring,
when work on the farm
starts all over again.