蜜蜂之死原理解析——寄生虫、毒药与人类：英语精读讲义

Human society is extremely complex and fragile, built upon various pillars. 短語動詞

人类社会极其复杂且脆弱，建立在各种支柱之上。

One of them is the honey bee.

其中之一就是蜜蜂。

One out of three meals eaten by humans is made possible by honey bees. 短語搭配

人类吃的三顿饭中，有一顿离不开蜜蜂的功劳。

They are so important that if all the honey bees were to die out, 講解

它们如此重要，以至于如果所有蜜蜂都灭绝了，

thousands of plants would follow,

数以千计的植物也会随之灭绝，

which could lead to millions of people starving in the following years. 語法

这可能导致未来几年数百万人挨饿。

On top of that, 表達脈絡

最重要的是，

honey bees have a huge economic impact.

蜜蜂具有巨大的经济影响力。

The dollar value of plants pollinated by them each year

每年由它们授粉的植物价值

is around 265 billion.

约合2650亿美元。

Food we take for granted would just stop existing without them, 習語

如果没有它们，我们视为理所当然的食物就不复存在了，

or there would be a massive decrease in productivity.

或者产量会大幅下降。

Food including apples, onions, pumpkins,

这些食物包括苹果、洋葱、南瓜，

and also plants used for feeding livestock,

以及用于喂养牲畜的植物，

and thus extremely important for our milk and meat.

因而对我们的奶和肉也极其重要。

Einstein is often quoted as having said, 語法

人们经常引用爱因斯坦的话说，

"If honey bees die out,

“如果蜜蜂灭绝了，

humans will follow a few years later."

几年后人类也会随之灭亡。”

Actually, he probably didn't say that,

实际上，他可能并没有说过这句话，

but there might be some truth in the statement. 短語搭配

但这句话也许有几分道理。

It's unsettling,

令人不安的是，

but honey bees have started to disappear.

蜜蜂已经开始消失了。

Millions of hives have died in the last few years.

过去几年里，数百万个蜂群死亡。

Beekeepers all over the world

世界各地的养蜂人

have seen an annual loss of 30 to 90% of their colonies.

发现他们的蜂群每年损失30%到90%。

In the US alone,

仅在美国，

bees are steadily declining, 短語搭配

蜜蜂数量就在稳步下降，

from 5 million hives in 1988 to 2.5 million today.

从1988年的500万群降至今天的250万群。

Since 2006,

自2006年以来，

a phenomenon called colony collapse disorder has affected honey bees in many countries, 用詞

一种被称为“蜂群崩溃综合征”的现象波及了许多国家的蜜蜂，

and we're not entirely sure what's causing it. 語氣意圖

而我们并不完全确定原因何在。

All we know is that it's pretty serious. 語法

我们只知道这非常严重。

Over the last few decades,

过去几十年里，

bees have seen an invasion of very dangerous foes, 用詞

蜜蜂遭到了极其危险的敌人的入侵，

parasites straight out of a horror movie, 習語

简直是恐怖电影里走出来的寄生虫，

like Acarapis woodi,

比如 Acarapis woodi（武氏蜂盾螨），

microscopic mites that infect the tracheae

这是一种微小的螨虫，会感染蜜蜂的气管，

that's the breathing tubes of bees.

也就是蜜蜂的呼吸管。

Here,

在这里，

they lay their eggs and feed from the fluids of their victims,

它们产卵并吸食受害者的体液，

weakening them considerably,

大大削弱了蜜蜂的体力，

and spending their whole life inside the bees.

并把它们的一生都花在蜜蜂体内。

Or Varroa destructor,

还有 Varroa destructor（狄斯瓦螨），

a fitting name because they can only reproduce in honey bee hives

这个名字很贴切，因为它们只能在蜂巢中繁殖，

and are one of the bees' greatest enemies.

并且是蜜蜂最大的敌人之一。

The female mite enters a honey bee brood cell

雌螨进入蜜蜂的育蜂房，

and lays eggs on the bee larva

在蜜蜂幼虫身上产卵，

before it's about to pupate 語法

就在它即将化蛹之前，

and before the hive bees cover the cell with a wax capping.

以及工蜂用蜡盖封住蜂房之前。

The eggs hatch

卵孵化后，

and the young mites and their mother feed on the developing bee

幼螨和它们的母亲就以发育中的蜜蜂为食，

in the safety of the capped cell.

在加盖的蜂房里安全地生活。

The bee is not normally killed at this stage,

蜜蜂在这个阶段通常不会被杀死，

just weakened,

只是被削弱了，

so it still has enough strength to chew its way through the wax capping 語法

所以它仍然有足够的力气咬破蜡盖，

and release itself from the cell.

从蜂房里钻出来。

As it does, 表達脈絡

当它出来时，

it releases the mother mite and her new offspring from the cell,

也把母螨和她的新后代从蜂房里放了出来，

and these are free to spread across the hive,

然后它们就可以自由地在蜂巢里蔓延，

starting the process over again in a cycle of about 10 days. 短語動詞

大约每10天重新开始一次循环。

Their numbers grow exponentially,

它们的数量呈指数级增长，

and after a few months,

几个月后，

this can lead to the collapse of the entire beehive.

这可能会导致整个蜂巢崩溃。

Once outside of the cell, 語法

一旦出了蜂房，

adult mites also suck the bodily fluids of bees

成年螨虫也会吸食蜜蜂的体液，

and weaken them considerably.

并大大削弱它们的体力。

To make things worse, 表達脈絡

更糟糕的是，

they also transmit viruses that harm the bees even more

它们还会传播病毒，对蜜蜂造成更大的伤害，

and can lead to birth defects like useless wings.

并可能导致出生缺陷，比如发育不良的翅膀。

But there are other threats too,

但还有其他威胁，

such as viruses and fungi.

比如病毒和真菌。

Under normal circumstances,

在正常情况下，

these phenomena should be manageable

这些现象应该是可控的，

and are not enough to explain the horrendous amount of dying going on in bees.

并不足以解释蜜蜂大量死亡的原因。

Over recent years,

近年来，

new insecticides have been introduced

引入了新型杀虫剂，

that are deadly to bees.

它们对蜜蜂是致命的。

Neonicotinoids, 用詞

新烟碱类药物（Neonicotinoids），

a chemical family similar to nicotine,

一种类似于尼古丁的化学家族，

was approved in the early 1990s

在20世纪90年代初获得批准，

as an alternative to chemicals like DDT. 短語搭配

作为滴滴涕（DDT）等化学品的替代品。

They attack insects by harming their nervous systems.

它们通过破坏昆虫的神经系统来攻击昆虫。

Today,

如今，

they are the most widely used insecticides in the world.

它们是世界上使用最广泛的杀虫剂。

Globally,

在全球范围内，

they saw sales of 1.5 billion Euros in 2008,

它们在2008年的销售额达到15亿欧元，

representing 24% of the global market for insecticides. 語法

占全球杀虫剂市场的24%。

In 2013,

2013年，

neonicotinoids were used in the US

在美国，新烟碱类药物被用于

on about 95% of corn and canola crops,

约95%的玉米和油菜作物，

and also on the vast majority of fruit and vegetables

以及绝大多数的水果和蔬菜上，

like apples, cherries,

比如苹果、樱桃、

peaches, oranges,

桃子、橙子、

berries, leafy greens,

浆果、绿叶蔬菜、

tomatoes, potatoes,

西红柿、土豆、

cereal grains, rice,

谷物、大米、

nuts, grapes, and many more.

坚果、葡萄等等。

Bees come into contact with the toxin while collecting pollen 短語搭配

蜜蜂在采集花粉

or via contaminated water,

或接触受污染的水时会接触到毒素，

often bringing material into the hive

经常把这些物质带回蜂巢，

where it can accumulate and slowly kill the whole colony.

毒素在蜂巢中积累，慢慢杀死整个蜂群。

The toxins harm bees in a variety of horrible ways.

毒素以各种可怕的方式伤害蜜蜂。

In high enough doses, 語法

在剂量足够大的情况下，

it quickly leads to convulsions,

它很快会导致抽搐、

paralysis, and death.

瘫痪和死亡。

But even in small doses,

但即使是小剂量，

it can be fatal.

它也可能是致命的。

It may lead to bees forgetting how to navigate the world, 語法

它可能导致蜜蜂忘记如何导航，

so bees fly into the wild,

于是蜜蜂飞进野外，

get lost,

迷失方向，

and die alone,

然后孤独地死去，

separated from their hives.

远离了它们的蜂巢。

If this happens often enough,

如果这种情况经常发生，

a hive can lose its ability to sustain itself.

一个蜂巢可能会失去维持自身的能力。

We know that neonicotinoids are harmful to bees

我们知道新烟碱对蜜蜂有害，

and that we urgently need an alternative to it.

而且我们迫切需要一种替代品。

But there are billions of dollars to be made in delaying this. 語法

但拖延这件事能赚取数十亿美元。

Studies sponsored by the chemical industry

化工业赞助的研究

magically appear to prove a much lower toxicity to bees 語氣意圖

竟然神奇地证明了它们对蜜蜂的毒性

compared to those produced by independent scientists.

远远低于独立科学家给出的结果。

There are even more factors contributing to the demise of bees,

导致蜜蜂死亡的因素还有很多，

like too much genetic uniformity,

比如过度的基因同质化、

crop monocultures,

农作物单一栽培、

poor nutrition due to overcrowding,

极度拥挤导致营养不良、

stress because of human activities,

人类活动带来的压力，

and other pesticides.

以及其他农药。

Each of those factors on its own is a major problem for bees, 習語

每一个因素本身对蜜蜂来说都是个大问题，

but together,

但结合在一起，

they probably account for colony collapse disorder, 短語動詞

它们可能就是蜂群崩溃综合征的原因，

with parasites upping their game in recent decades. 習語

加上近几十年来寄生虫越来越猖獗。

The honey bees are now fighting for survival.

蜜蜂现在正在为生存而战。

It would be a catastrophe if they lost this fight.

如果它们输掉这场战斗，那将是一场灾难。

This is a conundrum we have to solve

这是一个我们必须解决的难题，

if we want to continue living

如果我们想继续拥有

with a relative abundance and diversity of food.

相对丰富和多样的食物。

Humanity is deeply interconnected with Earth

人类与地球

and the other life forms on it,

及其上的其他生命形式紧密相连，

even if we pretend that we're not. 語法

即使我们假装不是这样。

We have to take better care of our surroundings. 短語搭配

我们必须更好地保护我们的环境。

If not to preserve the beauty of nature, 表達脈絡

如果不是为了保护自然之美，

then at least to ensure our own survival.

那至少是为了确保我们自己的生存。

This video is supported by the Australian Academy of Science,

本视频由澳大利亚科学院支持，

which promotes and supports excellence in science.

该机构旨在促进和支持卓越的科学。

See more at nova.org.au.

详情请见 nova.org.au。

It was a blast to work with them, 習語

和他们合作非常愉快，

so go check out their site.

所以去他们的网站看看吧。

Our videos are also made possible

我们的视频也离不开

by your support on Patreon.com.

你们在 Patreon.com 上的支持。

Recently,

最近，

we passed an important milestone, 短語搭配

我们突破了一个重要的里程碑，

which is why there will be an additional video in July. 表達脈絡

这就是为什么7月份会多出一个视频。

If you want to support us

如果你想支持我们

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并成为 Kurzgesagt 鸟类大军的一员，

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去看看我们的 Patreon 页面吧。