Watch Maya The Bee

Winter is coming and the food is getting scarce, when a bee called Jacob appears on the meadow. Jacob and his family live at a place where there is honey in abundance. But since he prefers to stay in the open air, he decides to change his place of residence. The inhabitants of the meadow have become curious and want to see the paradise Jacob comes from.

A huge ice cube has got lost on the meadow. For the inhabitants of the meadow this is great fun. They are ice-skating and nibble at it to see how it tastes. After a while they all get cold feet and go home, except for Willy who can't stop nibbling. Finally he lies down on the ice to take a sun bath and falls asleep. A little later Flip discovers him, frozen into the ice...

The inhabitants of the poppy meadow obviously suffer from their first symptoms of old age. Thekla thinks that her sense of hearing weakens, Puck becomes more and more near-sighted, Flip can't hop as fast anymore as he used to. Yet even doctor Snail worries about the poor state of health of the insects and prescribes for them all to do physical exercises three times a day.

It's broodingly hot. Everyone is looking for a small place in the shadow. Even the crickets on top of the hill come down to the brook. At first, there are only a few crickets coming down, but then they are coming- in hundreds, dancing and chirping by day and night.When Flip goes to ask them if they couldn't keep quiet at night he feels in love with one of the cricket-girls...

MAYA and the other insects find a nice place for a picnic and start to dish up the food when suddenly rain sets in and forces the insects to seek shelter in an empty tin. They are all very disapointed but MAYA has the idea to have a look through Alexanders new telescope when the rain stops.

Puck is going away and he is seen off by all the meadow inhabitants. Only Alexander doesn't appear. Maya goes off to look for him and finds him in front of a sculpture which he has just finished. Maya admires the piece of art and thinks up the idea that in fact all the others could have a go at moulding with clay.

Alexander has the idea to build a ship. His plan is received with great enthusiasm and all the insects help him with the construction of his boat.Then comes the moment of lowering the boat onto the water and everything works well. But then an accident happens: they run aground and the ship breaks apart. Fortunatly they can save themselves just in time on a stone.

The inhabitant of the meadow are seized by a deep autumnal melancholy and they all withdraw themselves completely. MAYA asks doctor Snail what could be done against this phenomenon and he answers that practising a little more sport would help them to regain more joy of living. He suggests to organize a skiing race on the grass.

Liebetraut III, Queen of the bees, has announced her visit to the poppy meadow. MAYA is named president of the reception committee and she immediately starts to assign everyone his share in the preparatory work. They are all very eager to do their job and MAYA is highly satisfied with the progress of the preparations. Yet things don't always run as well as they should...

Everywhere on the meadow there is a lot of scolding and quarrelling going on. One day, a family of flies with very good manners stops at the meadow. Both their children have lame wings and, therefore, MAYA and Alexander ask the parents to stay on the meadow until their children can fly again. This way, the other insects can take a good example by the good manners of the family of flies.

Alexander wants to alter a balloon, found by Maya and her friends, in such a way that they can ascend into the air. The ladybird children are allowed to come along too. Then, all of a sudden a squall tears off the balloon and quickly blows it away, while Alexander and the ladybird children are helplessly caught in the basket.

Because it is so terribly hot MAYA and her friends want to have a refreshing swim in the brook. But the brook is completely dry. MAYA, Willie and Alexander try to find out the cause and they discover a beaver who has built a dam for his wife and himself. This has dammed up the water.

One day, the grasshopper-girl Patty turns up on the meadow. She is looking for Flap, her bridegroom, who had disappeared just before their wedding. MAYA and her friends immediately think of Flip. When Patty sees Flip she is convinced that he is her bridegroom and covers him with her love while poor Flip doesn`t even get the chance to open his mouth.

During the vegetable harvest Alexander meets his old friend Marvin the mole. Many years ago Marvin had saved his life. Now at long last Alexander has the chance to repay him and invites him to his house. But if he had known the quatities of food a mole gets through daily he would certainly have reconsidered his offer. So it doesn't take long and food starts to become scarce in the meadow.

MAYA meets a rather weak looking beetle by the brook. She helps him over the bridge and because she feels sorry for him MAYA takes him with her to the meadow to make him acquainted with the other inhabitants. However Grandfather soon makes himself unpleasantly conspicuous with his know-all attitude and he sets everyone right.

MAYA suggests to Alexander that with his cleverness and inventiveness he ought to transmit his knowledge by teaching the meadow inhabitants. Alexander feels very flattered and agrees. But Alexander finds there is a lack of earnestness. They are all asleep! So MAYA persuades him to continue by performing experiments. And this is of interest to all, even to Willi.

One day after heavy rainfalls the meadow is flooded and the inhabitants just manage to save themselves because Puck provides them with a timely warning. This gives Alexander an idea. He organises the laying of reeds across the whole meadow so that whoever speaks at one end can be heard a long way away at the other end. Alexander proudly calls his invention the Alexandrophone.

Returning from a picnic MAYA, Flip and Alexander meet a very frightened Mrs Ladybird. A human has been in the meadow and scared everyone. When they return to the meadow they discover that the human has picked all the roses, including the one in which Willie had been asleep. As Willie is nowhere to be found, MAYA, Flip and Alexander go to search for him.

On the way to a picnic in a recently discovered flower garden, MAYA, Willie, Flip and Alexander meet a bee called Barney. Barney claims to be a globe-trotter and bores everyone with highly exaggerated stories of his travels. Willie is angry because Barney keeps wanting to stop for a rest and also fortifies himself with the honey which was meant for the picnic.

While MAYA, Willie and Alexander watch as Flip trains for a competition a storm with hail arises. Alexander is hit on the head by a hailstone and loses his memory. All MAYA's attempts at explaining to him who he is, are to no avail. On the contrary, when she tells him he is a grass-hopper, he feels like a grass-hopper and when she tells him he is an ant, he behaves like an ant. MAYA is desperate.

It is carnival time in the poppy meadow. Everywhere the preparations are in full swing. A stranger appears in the meadow, a long-nose locust called Emil. He is the object of jokes and Maya arrives to take him to the carnival.

Whilst seeking cover during a downpour, Willie, Alexander, Flip and MAYA discover an ant bear. He is called Emil and is very unhappy because he has to live underground and everyone runs away from him because he is so ugly. MAYA feels sorry for him and asks him to come along to the poppy meadow.

After it has rained for two weeks without interruption, the meadow inhabitants organise a great picnic on the first fine day. After the meal MAYA and Willie play football with the ladybird children. They disturb a golden beetle who has been hit on the head by the ball accidentally. His name is Hans and he claims that he brings luck to everyone he meets.

It has been raining for days and just doesn't seem to want to stop. MAYA, Willie, Flip and Alexander decide to put on a play. After a long debate they agree that the plot should show how the poppy meadow was cultivated many, many years ago. Alexander is the producer and Willie is to be the leading actor.

MAYA and Willie have hidden the princess of the cow flies at home. She has run away from her father because he is bad and all the world hates him. Ketty feels very happy amonst the inhabitants of the poppy meadow and has no desire to return to her father's castle. But Ketty's father is very annoyed about the high-handed actions of his daughter.

MAYA, Willi and Flip are together with Alexander again and Alexander starts philosophising about flying. Willi challenges him to have a go at it himself. With the aid of a leaf, Alexander does manage to fly a little.Willi challenges him more and more until finally Alexander is ready to dare to fly from a high tree...

Whilst visiting Dr. Schnecke MAYA and Willie see something fall from the sky. It is Freda the fly who has been sprayed with insecticide. But Freda has other reasons for being unhappy. She finds life as a fly unpleasant because nobody likes flies. MAYA asks Puck the fly to cheer up Freda.

Honey has been stolen from the bee's store-house. In order to stop this happening again the guards have to be increased. Willie volunteers for service. The next day Willie is found asleep and the remaining honey has been stolen. Willie is chased away with abuse and shame. But while he is wandering around, feeling unfairly treaten, Willie finds out who are the honey thieves.

After Alexander had floated over the waterfall he had drifted a mosquito, a harvest spider and a wood-louse saved him from being eaten by a water rat. To show his thanks he had invited them to the poppy meadow and now they wanted to come from the city and visit him. However, the three guests are unable to find any pleasure in what's offered to them. Their city life is quite different.

Alexander follows a sweet smell and comes upon a bottle of strawberry 'pop' in front of which a long queue of ants are waiting patiently for a sip. As usual Alexander pushes in front, crawls into the bottle and drinks almost the lot. After he has finished he finds he can't get out - he has become too fat. The ants try to pull him out by the tail - but in vain. Willie suddenly has an idea...

One morning the inhabitants of the forest glade discover footprints. They are afraid that there are humans in their forest glade who will crush and destroy everything as they did once before. So each family packs in a great hurry and flees from its home. But soon they come back home to have a look and see where the footprints have come from.

At the annual thanksgiving celebration Alexander suggests organising a game with the winner receiving a medal and all agree in a marathon. After the thanksgiving ceremony the marathon begins and after a thrilling run Thekla the spider comes in first. MAYA and Flip follow, but Flip suddenly disappears before the finish. He has fallen into a hole.

One day Alexander brought home a horrible, stinking cheese and explained that it would be ripe in a week's time when it would stink even more. But a week later Alexander came to the others in a rage and said someone had stolen his cheese. At least they find out that Alexander the Great himself has eaten the cheese whilst sleep walking.

One hot summer's day Alexander takes MAYA to see an uncle who lives in a cool, most gentlemanly villa. Meanwhile Willie and Flip have decided, together with all the insects in the meadow, to follow MAYA and Alexander into the villa because the heat is intolerable. They are wellcome by the well behaving inhabitants of the villa and all are invited to a party.

Thekla the spider is practising for the annual open-air concert. Alexander promises Thekla to find her a first class soprano for the concert, namely Clothilde the cricket. At the rehearsal everyone admires Clothilde's voice, but Thekla is annoyed because she won't reap all the praise at the concert. So she manages to make Clothilde completely hoarse.

Mother ladybird's son Herrmann has become fat and arrogant as a result of eating special large vegetables. She is in the depths of despair. Alexander wants to help her and hits on the idea of someone challenging Hermann to a weight lifting contest. Willie wins the contest and Herrmann learns that he isn't in fact as strong as he feels.