蜜蜂之死原理解析——寄生蟲、毒藥與人類：英語精讀講義

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

人類社會極其複雜且脆弱，建立在各種支柱之上。

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. 片語搭配

人類吃的三頓飯中，有一頓離不開蜜蜂的功勞。

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

牠們如此重要，以至於如果所有蜜蜂都滅絕了，

thousands of plants would follow,

數以千計的植物也會隨之滅絕，

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

這可能導致未來幾年數百萬人挨餓。

On top of that, 表達脈絡

最重要的是，

honey bees have a huge economic impact.

蜜蜂具有巨大的經濟影響力。

The dollar value of plants pollinated by them each year

每年由牠們授粉的植物價值

is around 265 billion.

約為2650億美元。

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

如果沒有牠們，我們視為理所當然的食物就不復存在了，

or there would be a massive decrease in productivity.

或者產量會大幅下降。

Food including apples, onions, pumpkins,

這些食物包括蘋果、洋蔥、南瓜，

and also plants used for feeding livestock,

以及用於餵養牲畜的植物，

and thus extremely important for our milk and meat.

因而對我們的奶和肉也極其重要。

Einstein is often quoted as having said, 文法

人們經常引用愛因斯坦的話說，

"If honey bees die out,

「如果蜜蜂滅絕了，

humans will follow a few years later."

幾年後人類也會隨之滅亡。」

Actually, he probably didn't say that,

實際上，他可能並沒有說過這句話，

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

但這句話也許有幾分道理。

It's unsettling,

令人不安的是，

but honey bees have started to disappear.

蜜蜂已經開始消失了。

Millions of hives have died in the last few years.

過去幾年裡，數百萬個蜂群死亡。

Beekeepers all over the world

世界各地的養蜂人

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

發現他們的蜂群每年損失30%到90%。

In the US alone,

僅在美國，

bees are steadily declining, 片語搭配

蜜蜂數量就在穩步下降，

from 5 million hives in 1988 to 2.5 million today.

從1988年的500萬群降至今天的250萬群。

Since 2006,

自2006年以來，

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

一種被稱為「蜂群崩壞症候群」的現象波及了許多國家的蜜蜂，

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

而我們並不完全確定原因何在。

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

我們只知道這非常嚴重。

Over the last few decades,

過去幾十年裡，

bees have seen an invasion of very dangerous foes, 用詞

蜜蜂遭到了極其危險的敵人的入侵，

parasites straight out of a horror movie, 慣用語

簡直是恐怖電影裡走出來的寄生蟲，

like Acarapis woodi,

比如 Acarapis woodi（武氏蜂盾蟎），

microscopic mites that infect the tracheae

這是一種微小的蟎蟲，會感染蜜蜂的氣管，

that's the breathing tubes of bees.

也就是蜜蜂的呼吸管。

Here,

在這裡，

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

牠們產卵並吸食受害者的體液，

weakening them considerably,

大大削弱了蜜蜂的體力，

and spending their whole life inside the bees.

並把牠們的一生都花在蜜蜂體內。

Or Varroa destructor,

還有 Varroa destructor（狄斯瓦蟎），

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

這個名字很貼切，因為牠們只能在蜂巢中繁殖，

and are one of the bees' greatest enemies.

並且是蜜蜂最大的敵人之一。

The female mite enters a honey bee brood cell

雌蟎進入蜜蜂的育蜂房，

and lays eggs on the bee larva

在蜜蜂幼蟲身上產卵，

before it's about to pupate 文法

就在牠即將化蛹之前，

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

以及工蜂用蠟蓋封住蜂房之前。

The eggs hatch

卵孵化後，

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

幼蟎和牠們的母親就以發育中的蜜蜂為食，

in the safety of the capped cell.

在加蓋的蜂房裡安全地生活。

The bee is not normally killed at this stage,

蜜蜂在這個階段通常不會被殺死，

just weakened,

只是被削弱了，

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

所以牠仍然有足夠的力氣咬破蠟蓋，

and release itself from the cell.

從蜂房裡鑽出來。

As it does, 表達脈絡

當牠出來時，

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

也把母蟎和她的新後代從蜂房裡放了出來，

and these are free to spread across the hive,

然後牠們就可以自由地在蜂巢裡蔓延，

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

大約每10天重新開始一次循環。

Their numbers grow exponentially,

牠們的數量呈指數級增長，

and after a few months,

幾個月後，

this can lead to the collapse of the entire beehive.

這可能會導致整個蜂巢崩潰。

Once outside of the cell, 文法

一旦出了蜂房，

adult mites also suck the bodily fluids of bees

成年蟎蟲也會吸食蜜蜂的體液，

and weaken them considerably.

並大大削弱牠們的體力。

To make things worse, 表達脈絡

更糟糕的是，

they also transmit viruses that harm the bees even more

牠們還會傳播病毒，對蜜蜂造成更大的傷害，

and can lead to birth defects like useless wings.

並可能導致出生缺陷，比如發育不良的翅膀。

But there are other threats too,

但還有其他威脅，

such as viruses and fungi.

比如病毒和真菌。

Under normal circumstances,

在正常情況下，

these phenomena should be manageable

這些現象應該是可控的，

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

並不足以解釋蜜蜂大量死亡的原因。

Over recent years,

近年來，

new insecticides have been introduced

引入了新型殺蟲劑，

that are deadly to bees.

牠們對蜜蜂是致命的。

Neonicotinoids, 用詞

新菸鹼類藥物（Neonicotinoids），

a chemical family similar to nicotine,

一種類似於尼古丁的化學家族，

was approved in the early 1990s

在20世紀90年代初獲得批准，

as an alternative to chemicals like DDT. 片語搭配

作為DDT等化學品的替代品。

They attack insects by harming their nervous systems.

牠們透過破壞昆蟲的神經系統來攻擊昆蟲。

Today,

如今，

they are the most widely used insecticides in the world.

牠們是世界上使用最廣泛的殺蟲劑。

Globally,

在全球範圍內，

they saw sales of 1.5 billion Euros in 2008,

牠們在2008年的銷售額達到15億歐元，

representing 24% of the global market for insecticides. 文法

占全球殺蟲劑市場的24%。

In 2013,

2013年，

neonicotinoids were used in the US

在美國，新菸鹼類藥物被用於

on about 95% of corn and canola crops,

約95%的玉米和油菜作物，

and also on the vast majority of fruit and vegetables

以及絕大多數的水果和蔬菜上，

like apples, cherries,

比如蘋果、櫻桃、

peaches, oranges,

桃子、柳橙、

berries, leafy greens,

漿果、葉菜類、

tomatoes, potatoes,

番茄、馬鈴薯、

cereal grains, rice,

穀物、稻米、

nuts, grapes, and many more.

堅果、葡萄等等。

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

蜜蜂在採集花粉

or via contaminated water,

或接觸受污染的水時會接觸到毒素，

often bringing material into the hive

經常把這些物質帶回蜂巢，

where it can accumulate and slowly kill the whole colony.

毒素在蜂巢中累積，慢慢殺死整個蜂群。

The toxins harm bees in a variety of horrible ways.

毒素以各種可怕的方式傷害蜜蜂。

In high enough doses, 文法

在劑量足夠大的情況下，

it quickly leads to convulsions,

它很快會導致抽搐、

paralysis, and death.

癱瘓和死亡。

But even in small doses,

但即使是小劑量，

it can be fatal.

它也可能是致命的。

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

它可能導致蜜蜂忘記如何導航，

so bees fly into the wild,

於是蜜蜂飛進野外，

get lost,

迷失方向，

and die alone,

然後孤獨地死去，

separated from their hives.

遠離了牠們的蜂巢。

If this happens often enough,

如果這種情況經常發生，

a hive can lose its ability to sustain itself.

一個蜂巢可能會失去維持自身的能力。

We know that neonicotinoids are harmful to bees

我們知道新菸鹼對蜜蜂有害，

and that we urgently need an alternative to it.

而且我們迫切需要一種替代品。

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

但拖延這件事能賺取數十億美元。

Studies sponsored by the chemical industry

化工業贊助的研究

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

竟然神奇地證明了牠們對蜜蜂的毒性

compared to those produced by independent scientists.

遠遠低於獨立科學家給出的結果。

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

導致蜜蜂死亡的因素還有很多，

like too much genetic uniformity,

比如過度的基因同質化、

crop monocultures,

農作物單一栽培、

poor nutrition due to overcrowding,

極度擁擠導致營養不良、

stress because of human activities,

人類活動帶來的壓力，

and other pesticides.

以及其他農藥。

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

每一個因素本身對蜜蜂來說都是個大問題，

but together,

但結合在一起，

they probably account for colony collapse disorder, 片語動詞

牠們可能就是蜂群崩壞症候群的原因，

with parasites upping their game in recent decades. 慣用語

加上近幾十年來寄生蟲越來越猖獗。

The honey bees are now fighting for survival.

蜜蜂現在正在為生存而戰。

It would be a catastrophe if they lost this fight.

如果牠們輸掉這場戰鬥，那將是一場災難。

This is a conundrum we have to solve

這是一個我們必須解決的難題，

if we want to continue living

如果我們想繼續擁有

with a relative abundance and diversity of food.

相對豐富和多樣的食物。

Humanity is deeply interconnected with Earth

人類與地球

and the other life forms on it,

及其上的其他生命形式緊密相連，

even if we pretend that we're not. 文法

即使我們假裝不是這樣。

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

我們必須更好地保護我們的環境。

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

如果不是為了保護自然之美，

then at least to ensure our own survival.

那至少是為了確保我們自己的生存。

This video is supported by the Australian Academy of Science,

本影片由澳洲科學院支持，

which promotes and supports excellence in science.

該機構旨在促進和支持卓越的科學。

See more at nova.org.au.

詳情請見 nova.org.au。

It was a blast to work with them, 慣用語

和他們合作非常愉快，

so go check out their site.

所以去他們的網站看看吧。

Our videos are also made possible

我們的影片也離不開

by your support on Patreon.com.

你們在 Patreon.com 上的支持。

Recently,

最近，

we passed an important milestone, 片語搭配

我們突破了一個重要的里程碑，

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

這就是為什麼7月份會多出一個影片。

If you want to support us

如果你想支持我們

and become part of the Kurzgesagt bird army,

並成為 Kurzgesagt 鳥類大軍的一員，

check out our Patreon page.

去看看我們的 Patreon 頁面吧。