纽约时报 亚洲“杀人大黄蜂”入侵美国(2)（在线收听）

Beyond its size, the hornet has a distinctive look,

除了个头大，这种大黄蜂样貌也很独特，

with a cartoonishly fierce face featuring teardrop eyes like Spider-Man,

长着一副跟卡通形象一样凶狠的面孔，跟蜘蛛侠一样泪珠形状的眼睛，

orange and black stripes that extend down its body like a tiger, and broad, wispy wings like a small dragonfly.

老虎一样橙黑相见的条纹，还有小蜻蜓一样宽大、纤细的翅膀。

He contacted the state, which came out to confirm that it was indeed an Asian giant hornet.

科尔内利斯联系了州政府，政府派来的人证实，那确实是一只亚洲大黄蜂。

Soon after, they learned that a local beekeeper in the area had also found one of the hornets.

不久后，他们得知，当地的一位养蜂人也发现了一只大黄蜂。

Dr. Looney said it was immediately clear that the state faced a serious problem,

大家瞬时便意识到，华盛顿州碰上大麻烦了，鲁尼说，

but with only two insects in hand and winter coming on,

但由于当时只发现了两只，冬季马上又要到了，

it was nearly impossible to determine how much the hornet had already made itself at home.

要确定这种大黄蜂在当地扎根究竟多久了几乎比登天还难。

Over the winter, state agriculture biologists and local beekeepers got to work, preparing for the coming season.

接下来的整个冬季，华盛顿州的农业生物学家和当地的养蜂人都在为即将到来的春季做准备。

Ruthie Danielsen, a beekeeper who has helped organize her peers to combat the hornet, unfurled a map across the hood of her vehicle,

养蜂人露丝·丹妮尔森加入了组织同行抗击大黄蜂的队伍，她将一幅地图展开铺在了车子的引擎盖上，

noting the places across Whatcom County where beekeepers have placed traps.

指了指霍特科姆县各地养蜂人设置捕蜂器的地方。

“Most people are scared to get stung by them,” Ms. Danielsen said.

“大部分人都害怕被这种大黄蜂螫到，”丹妮尔森说。

“We’re scared that they are going to totally destroy our hives.”

“我们很担心它们会把我们的蜂箱彻底给毁了。”

Adding to the uncertainty — and mystery — were some other discoveries of the Asian giant hornet across the border in Canada.

边境另一侧的加拿大也发现了亚洲大黄蜂的身影，本就不确定的蜂箱被毁事件再次蒙添了一层不确定性——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，不列颠哥伦比亚省的怀特罗克地区也发现了一只大黄蜂，那里距离华盛顿州发现大黄蜂的地方不过10英里（16公里）左右——

likely too far for the hornets to be part of the same colony.

这样遥远的距离说明它们不太可能是来自同一蜂群。

Even earlier, there had been a hive discovered on Vancouver Island,

甚至更早，海峡另一侧的温哥华岛就已发现一个蜂巢，

across a strait that probably was too wide for a hornet to have crossed from the mainland.

从大陆跨越如此辽阔的海峡对于大黄蜂来说或许不太可能。

Crews were able to track down the hive on Vancouver Island.

工作人员在温哥华岛上追踪到了蜂巢的位置。

Conrad Berube, a beekeeper and entomologist in the town of Nanaimo, was assigned to exterminate it.

纳奈莫镇的养蜂人兼昆虫学家康莱德·贝鲁布接到了消灭这一蜂巢的任务。

He set out at night, when the hornets would be in their nest.

他选择了晚上行动，因为晚上大黄蜂都会待在蜂巢里。

He put on shorts and thick sweatpants, then his bee suit.

他穿了短裤和厚厚的运动裤，还穿了连体防蜂服。

He donned Kevlar braces on his ankles and wrists.

脚踝和手腕处都戴上了护具。

But as he approached the hive, he said, the rustling of the brush and the shine of his flashlight awakened the colony.

然而，就在他接近蜂巢的时候，他说，刷子的沙沙声和手电的亮光还是弄醒了蜂巢。

Before he had a chance to douse the nest with carbon dioxide,

还没来得及往蜂巢里泼入二氧化碳，

he felt the first searing stabs in his leg — through the bee suit and underlying sweatpants.

他就感觉到腿部出现了火辣辣的刺痛感——穿透了防蜂服和里面的运动裤的刺痛感。

“It was like having red-hot thumbtacks being driven into my flesh,” he said.

“那感觉就像有烧红的图钉在往我肉里扎一样，”他说。

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，有些还蛰出了血。