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Bugs That Rule the World is available to stream on pbs.org and the free PBS App, available on iPhone, Apple TV, Android TV, Android smartphones, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire Tablet, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, and Vizio.
About the Series
"Bugs that Rule the World" is a four-part journey into the world of insects, showcasing the planet’s most populous but least appreciated creatures.
A handful of scientists and enthusiasts around the globe explore the beauty and complexity of bugs, discovering cunning adaptations, bizarre behaviors, and why insects are known as “the little things that run the world.”
Investigations into a worldwide insect “apocalypse” highlight the critical roles bugs play on the planet and the bleak picture of a future without them. From pollinators like moths, bees and butterflies that bring color to the field and food to our plates, to tiny insect assassins to the clean-up crews that work the land and purify the soil, insects have been running the world since before the time of the dinosaurs.
Stunning macro cinematography reveals their color, complex body plans and surprisingly charming lives in otherworldly detail, from intricate mating rituals to staggering physical transformations straight out of science fiction.
A glimpse into our long history of dependence on insects reveals that even in some of the planet’s most remote corners, this relationship – thousands of years old – may now be on the verge of collapse.
"Bugs that Rule the World" takes viewers on a fantastic voyage of discovery, revealing that although they always seem to be buzzing around us, we hardly know our fellow Earthlings at all.