Beyond its size, the hornet has a distinctive look,
除了個(gè)頭大,這種大黃蜂樣貌也很獨(dú)特,
with a cartoonishly fierce face featuring teardrop eyes like Spider-Man,
長著一副跟卡通形象一樣兇狠的面孔,跟蜘蛛俠一樣淚珠形狀的眼睛,
orange and black stripes that extend down its body like a tiger, and broad, wispy wings like a small dragonfly.
老虎一樣橙黑相見的條紋,還有小蜻蜓一樣寬大、纖細(xì)的翅膀。
He contacted the state, which came out to confirm that it was indeed an Asian giant hornet.
科爾內(nèi)利斯聯(lián)系了州政府,政府派來的人證實(shí),那確實(shí)是一只亞洲大黃蜂。
Soon after, they learned that a local beekeeper in the area had also found one of the hornets.
不久后,他們得知,當(dāng)?shù)氐囊晃火B(yǎng)蜂人也發(fā)現(xiàn)了一只大黃蜂。
Dr. Looney said it was immediately clear that the state faced a serious problem,
大家瞬時(shí)便意識(shí)到,華盛頓州碰上大麻煩了,魯尼說,
but with only two insects in hand and winter coming on,
但由于當(dāng)時(shí)只發(fā)現(xiàn)了兩只,冬季馬上又要到了,
it was nearly impossible to determine how much the hornet had already made itself at home.
要確定這種大黃蜂在當(dāng)?shù)卦烤苟嗑昧藥缀醣鹊翘爝€難。
Over the winter, state agriculture biologists and local beekeepers got to work, preparing for the coming season.
接下來的整個(gè)冬季,華盛頓州的農(nóng)業(yè)生物學(xué)家和當(dāng)?shù)氐酿B(yǎng)蜂人都在為即將到來的春季做準(zhǔn)備。
Ruthie Danielsen, a beekeeper who has helped organize her peers to combat the hornet, unfurled a map across the hood of her vehicle,
養(yǎng)蜂人露絲·丹妮爾森加入了組織同行抗擊大黃蜂的隊(duì)伍,她將一幅地圖展開鋪在了車子的引擎蓋上,
noting the places across Whatcom County where beekeepers have placed traps.
指了指霍特科姆縣各地養(yǎng)蜂人設(shè)置捕蜂器的地方。
“Most people are scared to get stung by them,” Ms. Danielsen said.
“大部分人都害怕被這種大黃蜂螫到,”丹妮爾森說。
“We’re scared that they are going to totally destroy our hives.”
“我們很擔(dān)心它們會(huì)把我們的蜂箱徹底給毀了。”
Adding to the uncertainty — and mystery — were some other discoveries of the Asian giant hornet across the border in Canada.
邊境另一側(cè)的加拿大也發(fā)現(xiàn)了亞洲大黃蜂的身影,本就不確定的蜂箱被毀事件再次蒙添了一層不確定性——及神秘性。
In November, a single hornet was seen in White Rock, British Columbia, perhaps 10 miles away from the discoveries in Washington State —
去年11月,不列顛哥倫比亞省的懷特羅克地區(qū)也發(fā)現(xiàn)了一只大黃蜂,那里距離華盛頓州發(fā)現(xiàn)大黃蜂的地方不過10英里(16公里)左右——
likely too far for the hornets to be part of the same colony.
這樣遙遠(yuǎn)的距離說明它們不太可能是來自同一蜂群。
Even earlier, there had been a hive discovered on Vancouver Island,
甚至更早,海峽另一側(cè)的溫哥華島就已發(fā)現(xiàn)一個(gè)蜂巢,
across a strait that probably was too wide for a hornet to have crossed from the mainland.
從大陸跨越如此遼闊的海峽對(duì)于大黃蜂來說或許不太可能。
Crews were able to track down the hive on Vancouver Island.
工作人員在溫哥華島上追蹤到了蜂巢的位置。
Conrad Berube, a beekeeper and entomologist in the town of Nanaimo, was assigned to exterminate it.
納奈莫鎮(zhèn)的養(yǎng)蜂人兼昆蟲學(xué)家康萊德·貝魯布接到了消滅這一蜂巢的任務(wù)。
He set out at night, when the hornets would be in their nest.
他選擇了晚上行動(dòng),因?yàn)橥砩洗簏S蜂都會(huì)待在蜂巢里。
He put on shorts and thick sweatpants, then his bee suit.
他穿了短褲和厚厚的運(yùn)動(dòng)褲,還穿了連體防蜂服。
He donned Kevlar braces on his ankles and wrists.
腳踝和手腕處都戴上了護(hù)具。
But as he approached the hive, he said, the rustling of the brush and the shine of his flashlight awakened the colony.
然而,就在他接近蜂巢的時(shí)候,他說,刷子的沙沙聲和手電的亮光還是弄醒了蜂巢。
Before he had a chance to douse the nest with carbon dioxide,
還沒來得及往蜂巢里潑入二氧化碳,
he felt the first searing stabs in his leg — through the bee suit and underlying sweatpants.
他就感覺到腿部出現(xiàn)了火辣辣的刺痛感——穿透了防蜂服和里面的運(yùn)動(dòng)褲的刺痛感。
“It was like having red-hot thumbtacks being driven into my flesh,” he said.
“那感覺就像有燒紅的圖釘在往我肉里扎一樣,”他說。
He ended up getting stung at least seven times, some of the stings drawing blood.
到最后,他至少被蜇了七次,有些還蟄出了血。
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