纽约时报 亚洲“杀人大黄蜂”入侵美国(3)（在线收听）

Jun-ichi Takahashi, a researcher at Kyoto Sangyo University in Japan,

日本京都产业大学研究员高桥纯一称，

said the species had earned the “murder hornet” nickname there

该物种之所以在日本有着“杀人蜂”的绰号，

because its aggressive group attacks can expose victims to doses of toxic venom equivalent to that of a venomous snake;

是因为它们会集体攻击，来势十分凶猛，注入受害者体内的毒液剂量堪比一条毒蛇注入的剂量；

a series of stings can be fatal.

几针下来，受害者就会一命呜呼。

The night he got stung, Mr. Berube still managed to eliminate the nest and collect samples,

行动那晚，贝鲁布虽被蛰伤，但他还是设法清除了蜂巢，还收集到了样本，

but the next day, his legs were aching, as if he had the flu.

然而次日，他的腿便疼痛起来，仿佛得了流感一般。

Of the thousands of times he has been stung in his lifetime of work, he said, the Asian giant hornet stings were the most painful.

贝鲁布称，养蜂以来，他已经被蜇过成千上万次，但被亚洲大黄蜂蛰得最痛苦。

After collecting the hornet in the Blaine area, state officials took off part of a leg and shipped it to an expert in Japan.

在布莱恩地区收集到大黄蜂样本后，州官员取下大黄蜂的部分腿部，将其运给了日本的一位专家。

A sample from the Nanaimo nest was sent as well.

一道被送走的还有纳奈莫蜂巢中的样本。

A genetic examination, concluded over the past few weeks,

该州害虫学家泰莉莎·威尔逊表示，

determined that the nest in Nanaimo and the hornet near Blaine were not connected, said Telissa Wilson, a state pest biologist,

过去几周完成的基因检查已经确定，纳奈莫蜂巢的大黄蜂和布莱恩附近的大黄蜂之间没有联系，

meaning there had probably been at least two different introductions in the region.

这就意味着该地区可能有至少两拨大黄蜂。

Dr. Looney went out on a recent day in Blaine, carrying clear jugs that had been made into makeshift traps;

不久前的一天，身在布莱恩的鲁尼拿着作临时捕蜂器之用的透明水罐出去了一趟；

typical wasp and bee traps available for purchase have holes too small for the Asian giant hornet.

就亚洲巨型大黄蜂而言，市面上常见的那种黄蜂和小蜜蜂捕蜂器的孔太小了。

He filled some with orange juice mixed with rice wine, others had kefir mixed with water,

部分罐子他装了橙汁和米酒，另一些装了兑水的酸牛乳酒，

and a third batch was filled with some experimental lures —

还有一批倒入的是一些实验诱饵——

all with the hope of catching a queen emerging to look for a place to build a nest.

为了便是抓住一只出来找地方筑巢的蜂王。

He hung them from trees, geo-tagging each location with his phone.

他将那些罐子都挂到了树上，又用手机记下了每个罐子的位置。

In a region with extensive wooded habitats for hornets to establish homes, the task of finding and eliminating them is daunting.

在一个拥有大量可供大黄蜂筑巢的繁茂树林的地区，要想找出并消灭掉它们并不容易。

How to find dens that may be hidden underground?

还有藏在地下的巢穴，这种巢穴又怎么找？

And where to look, given that one of the queens can fly many miles a day, at speeds of up to 20 miles per hour?

考虑到蜂王一天能飞出数英里，飞行速度可达20英里/小时，究竟应该上哪儿去找？

The miles of wooded landscapes and mild, wet climate of western Washington State makes for an ideal location for the hornets to spread.

华盛顿州西部森林繁茂，气候温和湿润，为大黄蜂的扩散提供了理想的温室。

In the coming months, Mr. Looney said, he and others plan to place hundreds more traps.

鲁尼表示，接下来几个月，他和其他人计划再放几百个捕蜂器。

State officials have mapped out the plan in a grid, starting in Blaine and moving outward.

州官员规划了一个以布莱恩为起点向四周辐射的抓捕计划。

The buzz of activity inside a nest of Asian giant hornets can keep the inside temperature up to 86 degrees,

由于在亚洲大黄蜂的频繁飞舞之下，蜂巢内部温度可高达86℉（30℃），

so the trackers are also exploring using thermal imaging to examine the forest floors.

于是，追踪大黄蜂踪迹的工作人员正在尝试用热成像技术检测森林地表温度，籍此锁定蜂巢位置。

Later, they may also try other advanced tools that could track the signature hum the hornets make in flight.

以后，他们或许还能尝试其他先进工具追踪大黄蜂在飞行中发出的独特的嗡嗡声。

If a hornet does get caught in a trap, Dr. Looney said, there are plans to possibly use radio-frequency identification tags to monitor where it goes —

鲁尼表示，一旦他们用捕蜂器抓住一只大黄蜂，按计划，他们可能会用射频识别标签追踪它的去向——

or simply attach a small streamer and then follow the hornet as it returns to its nest.

或者，也可以直接给它绑一张小彩条，然后跟随它回到蜂巢。

While most bees would be unable to fly with a disruptive marker attached, that is not the case with the Asian giant hornet.

尽管大多数蜜蜂被绑上扰乱其原本飞行负重的标记后都无法继续飞行，但亚洲大黄蜂不会。

It is big enough to handle the extra load.

因为这种蜜蜂巨大的体型足以承担额外的负重。