Bug Off is the fourteenth episode in the fourth season of Captain Planet and the Planeteers.
Main Characters[]
The main characters featured in this episode are:
- Kwame
- Wheeler
- Linka
- Gi
- Ma-Ti
- Captain Planet
- Gaia
- Professor Posey
- Verminous Skumm
- Sherman
Plot Synopsis[]
A swarm of mutated boll weevils created by Verminous Skumm attacks a small town in North Carolina. The Planeteers goes to stop the swarm before it eats up everything.
Episode Summary[]
Verminous Skumm unleashes genetically engineered boll weevils that are enhanced by overly used pesticides and his growth hormones to devastate Earth's agriculture. Despite her illness, Linka insists on joining them for a mission. Prompted by a discussion on the misuse of antibiotics, Ma-Ti suggests homemade natural remedies to treat a cold. So, he concocts a herbal medicine for Linka to try, even if she doesn't like it. With the beetles being unaffected by the rings' elemental powers, the Planeteers were powerless against them. Instead, they summon Captain Planet to deal with the situation. After Planet freezes Skumm's superbugs from a nearby bus, more of them weakens him by pesticide exposures. Meanwhile, the Planeteers and Professor Posey work on a solution by using Perilitus wasps as natural predators to fight off the rapidly growing weevils. Thanks to the Planeteers' help, Planet recovers, drives the mutant bugs away with parasitic wasps, and stop Skumm in his tracks. Now, the town recognizes Planet and his friends as heroes, as well as rewarding them for their efforts.
Planeteer Alerts[]
- First Planeteer Alert
Gaia: Nature has its own way of dealing with pests. So we have to be careful about our use of chemical pesticides because they can upset the ecosystem and kill the good bugs along with the bad. Even spiders fulfill an important purpose in nature.
Kwame: So if you find one in the house, don't kill it. You can take it outside like this or ask your parents to help.
Linka: And be careful about how you use antibiotics and other medicine because, just like pesticides, you can kill the good germs along with the bad.
All: The power is yours!
- Second Planeteer Alert
Linka: Many household items can hurt both pets and wildlife.
Kwame: A lot of things we do can hurt birds and other animals.
Wheeler: Did you know that car radiator fluid can be fatal to animals if they lick it or drink it?
Gi: Unfortunately, animals like the taste of radiator fluid. So never let it drain in the driveway or gutter.
Wheeler: And if any spills, clean it up.
Ma-Ti: If we are all careful of how we get rid of household waste, we can make it a lot safer for animals and the environment.
All: The power is yours!
Significant Moments and Facts[]
- Wheeler makes a reference to the film Alien.
- In real life, Venus flytraps don't simply close when food enters their leaves, and then automatically reopen after they've consumed it. They have three spikes on each side of each leaf (not six as indicated in this episode), two of which must be moved, or one moved twice. This is to prevent the trap from closing on things that it cannot digest. After the trap has caught the prey, it doesn't reopen until it has digested it, which takes about 10 days. Venus flytraps and other carnivorous plants eat animal prey because these plants grow in nutrient-poor soil (Zimmer, Carl. "Fatal Attraction", National Geographic, vol. 217, no. 3, Mar. 2010, pp. 84-95).
Quotes[]
- Wheeler: No need to panic, guys. I'll just blast these suckers. Fire! [shoots a jet of flame with his ring, but the beetles emerge again after a minute and attack]
- Wheeler: OK, *now* panic!
- Captain Planet: See no weevil--hear no weevil!
- Verminous Skumm: A little pesticide drip for a big eco-drip
- Captain Planet: (to Skumm, upon seeing the 3-ton boll weevil Sherman) Well...imagine that. A pest bigger than you.
- Verminous Skumm: Please, help me, Captain Planet. I'll do anything! [sobs in terror as his giant beetles cling to him to escape the attacking wasps]
- Captain Planet: I don't know, Skumm. Your little friends are starting to grow on me. Or should I say you?
Gallery[]
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