The case of the vanishing honeybees - Emma Bryce

蜜蜂消失的懸案 - 艾瑪．布萊斯 (Emma Bryce)

譯者: Marssi Draw 審譯者: 文泰 徐

There is an environmental mystery afoot,

有件關於環境的謎團正在進行中

and it begins with a seemingly trivial detail

從看似微不足道的小細節開始

that reveals a disaster of global proportions.

掀起了一場遍及全球的大災難

One day, you notice that the honey you slather on your morning toast

某天，你發現塗在早餐吐司上的蜂蜜

is more expensive.

變得昂貴許多

Instead of switching to jam,

你不打算換成果醬

you investigate the reason for the price hike.

你研究了價格上揚的原因

What you find is shocking.

結果讓你大吃一驚

The number of domesticated honeybees in the US

美國境內養蜂的數量

has been decreasing at an alarming rate.

少到要拉警報了

This decline appears too big

數量減少的程度

to be explained by the usual causes of bee death alone:

無法只用常見的致命因素

disease, parasites or starvation.

像是病害、寄生蟲與飢荒來解釋

A typical crime scene has almost no adult bees left in the hive,

典型的犯罪現場即是 幾乎沒有成蜂還在蜂巢裡

except, perhaps, a lonely queen and a few other survivors.

也許，除了一隻孤單的蜂后和一些倖存者

It's full of untouched food stores and a brood of unborn larvae,

裡頭還有沒動過的食物存貨 和一窩還沒出世的幼蜂

suggesting that the adults vacated without waiting for them to hatch.

可能是成蜂沒等牠們孵出就已離巢了

But what's particularly eerie

但是格外令人毛骨悚然的是

is that there's no tell-tale mass of dead or dying bees nearby.

附近沒有傳言中大量死亡 或垂死的蜜蜂身影

Either they have forgotten their way back to the hive,

牠們不是早忘了回蜂巢的路

or they have simply disappeared.

就是單純的消失了

These mysterious disappearances aren't new.

這些神祕的失蹤案件並不是頭一遭

Humans have been collecting honey for centuries.

人類採蜜已長達幾個世紀

But it wasn't until European settlers in the 1600's

直到十七世紀時，歐洲殖民者

introduced the subspecies, Apis mellifera,

引進亞種「西方蜜蜂」

that we domesticated bees.

就是我們後來養的蜜蜂

Since the 19th century,

自從二十世紀開始

beekeepers have reported occasional mass disappearances,

養蜂人提到三不五時的大量失蹤事件

giving them enigmatic names

賦予了牠們謎樣的名稱

like disappearing disease, spring dwindle disease

像是消失病、春季減少症

and autumn collapse.

和秋季崩解

But when in 2006 such losses were found to affect

但是在 2006 年時我們發現這樣的損失

more than half of all hives in the US,

影響層面超過美國半數的蜂巢

the phenomenon got a new name:

這個現象有了新名稱

colony collapse disorder.

蜂群衰竭失調

The most frightening thing about this mystery

這個謎團最嚇人的部分

isn't that we'll have to go back to using regular sugar in our tea.

不是我們得回到過去在茶裡加普通的糖

We farm bees for their honey,

我們養殖蜂以取得蜜

but they also pollinate our crops on an industrial scale,

但是牠們也以工業規模 在我們的穀物上授粉

generating over 1/3 of America's food production this way.

以此生產超過 1/3 的美國食物

So, how can we find the culprit behind this calamity?

因此，我們要怎麼找到 這場災難背後的兇手呢？

Here are three of the possible offenders.

這些有三個可能的罪魁禍首

Exhibit A: Pests and Disease.

證物一：害蟲和疾病

Most infamous is the varroa mite,

惡名昭彰的榜首是蜂蟹蟎

a minuscule red pest that not only invades colonies and feeds on bees,

微小的紅色害蟲 不只是侵略領地、以蜂為食

but also transfers pathogens that stunt bee growth

還轉移病原體，阻礙蜜峰生長

and shortens their life span.

並減短牠們的壽命

Exhibit B: Genetics.

證物二：遺傳學

The queen is the core of a healthy hive.

蜂后是健全蜂巢的核心

But nowadays, the millions of queen bees distributed

但是現在，有數不清的蜂后

in commercial hives are bred from just a few original queens,

在商業用的蜂巢裡，但這些蜂后 是同一小批的蜂后養大的

which raises the worry about a lack of genetic diversity

因此讓人擔憂缺乏了遺傳的多樣性

which could weaken bees' defenses against pathogens and pests.

可能會減弱蜜蜂 抵抗病原體和害蟲的攻擊

Exhibit C: Chemicals.

證物三：化學製品

Pesticides used both on commercial beehives

在商業蜂巢和農作物中 用來阻擋寄生蟲的農藥

and agricultural crops to ward off parasites

could be getting into the food and water that honeybees consume.

可能會流入蜜蜂攝取的食物和水中

Researchers have even found that some pesticides

研究員還發現有些農藥

damage the honeybees' homing abilities.

會破壞蜜蜂嗡嗡叫的本能

So we have a file full of clues

我們有一打的線索

but no clear leads.

但是沒有明確的方向

In reality, scientists, the actual detectives on this case,

科學家，這個案件的首要偵探

face disagreement over what causes colony collapse disorder.

面臨了導致蜂群衰竭失調主因的爭論

For now, we assume that several factors are the cause.

現階段我們假設某些因素是罪魁禍首

Honeybees aren't necessarily in danger of extinction,

蜜蜂還未面臨絕跡

but fewer bees overall means less pollination and higher food costs,

但是蜜蜂減少就意謂著 較少的授粉和較高的伙食費

so it's crucial that scientists solve the case of the vanishing bees.

因此科學家要為蜜蜂消失破案 是非常重要的事

Because while having less honey might be a buzzkill,

因為少了點蜂蜜很掃興

crop shortages are something that would truly sting.

作物短缺也是件讓人難過的事