A swarm of bees held a US policeman hostage in his car for three hours after tens of thousands of the stingers escaped from a broken-down lorry, his colleagues said last week.
The incident occurred near the town of Raleigh in North Carolina when policeman Brandon Jenkins responded to calls about a vehicle stopped on the side of the road, police told AFP.
The truck, as it turned out, was transporting 60 beehives to fertilize some orchards.
Such journeys are routinely done at night so the bees stay in the hives, but on this occasion, due to the breakdown, the insects flew out when they sensed light and the warmth of the day outside.
“They were confused, without their queen, they swarmed the police car probably because that was the biggest thing around that they could find,” explained Wake County sheriff’s spokeswoman Phyllis Stevens.
Between 30,000 and 50,000 bees were removed from the white exterior of the police car, which had largely disappeared under the swarm, she said.
Jenkins, who did not venture outside, called his superiors and was told to remain where he was and not make the situation worse by dispersing the bees.
“We had to be very cautious,” said Stevens. “Schools were closed and there were many children around.”
Jennifer Keller, a beekeeping expert from North Carolina State University was called in to help.
“I had never seen anything quite like that,” she said. “The bees had nowhere to go. I guess they used the car as a resting spot.”
Keller sprayed sugar water on the bees, which started licking each other and regrouping so rescuers could return them to their hives.
Freed from the swarm, Jenkins then continued on his way.
“I got one sting. I struck a bee, so it was my own fault,” said Keller.(AFP)
一名美國警察的同事上週表示,數以萬計的蜜蜂從一輛拋錨的卡車上飛出來,這一大群蜜蜂包圍警車,使車內一名員警如人質般受困三小時。
警察告訴法新社,這次意外發生在北卡羅來納州的羅利市,當時警員布蘭登•詹金斯獲報前往處理一樁卡車路邊拋錨的事故。
當時那輛卡車上載著滿滿六十座蜂巢,準備到果園幫果樹傳花粉。
這種運送通常在夜間進行,這樣蜜蜂才會乖乖待在蜂巢內,但這個情況是,由於卡車拋錨,到了白天,蜜蜂感覺到陽光與溫度便傾巢而出。
維克郡警長辦公室女發言人菲力絲•史蒂芬斯解釋:「蜜蜂看不到女王感到很疑惑,牠們會聚集在警車也許是因為那是牠們所看見最大的東西。」
她說,從警車白色烤漆部分移除的蜜蜂大約有三萬到五萬隻,白色烤漆部份幾乎被聚集的蜜蜂遮蔽。
詹金斯不敢冒險離開車內,所以通知上司,上司要他乖乖待在原地,還要他別驚動蜜蜂,以免情況變得更糟。
史蒂芬斯說:「我們得非常小心,因為現在學校都關閉,所以附近有許多小孩子。」
北卡羅來納州立大學蜜蜂專家珍妮佛•凱勒也被電召協助處理此事。
她表示:「我從沒看過這種事。這些蜜蜂無處可去。我猜牠們把車子當作休息站。」
凱勒將糖水噴在蜜蜂身上,牠們開始彼此舔噬,然後聚集在一起,因此前往救援的人才得以將蜜蜂請回蜂巢。
終於脫困的詹金斯此時才能繼續他的工作。
凱勒說:「我被螫了一下。因為我攻擊了一隻蜜蜂,所以這是我自找的。」(法新社╱翻譯:吳岱璟)
Taiwanese cuisine boasts a rich culture of thick soups, with various options available at street vendors or high-end restaurants. In English, this style of dish is typically called “thick soup.” Western cuisine typically uses flour, cream, or mashed vegetables to create a creamy consistency, while in Taiwan, thick soups are made by simply incorporating food starch into the soup and creating a smooth and silky texture. Tutuo fish in thick soup is such a soup with fried tutuo fish chunks, shiitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and wood ears. 台灣羹品飲食文化豐富,無論是巷口小店或是高檔餐廳,都有提供羹料理。羹在英文稱作「濃湯」,西式濃湯是以麵粉、鮮奶油、蔬菜泥等達到濃稠的口感,台灣的羹湯用太白粉即能做出濃稠絲滑的湯頭。土魠魚羹就是在勾芡的羹湯中加入炸土魠魚塊、香菇、竹筍、木耳等食材的料理。 boast (v.) 擁有(令人驕傲的事物) consistency (n.) 濃稠度 chunk (n.) 厚塊,大塊 wood ear (n. ph.) 木耳 The star of this
Huge stretches of coral reef around the world are turning a ghostly white this year amid record warm ocean temperatures. On April 15, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed the world’s fourth mass global bleaching event is underway — with serious consequences for marine life and for the people and economies that rely on reefs. WHAT ARE CORALS? Corals are invertebrates that live in colonies. Their calcium carbonate secretions form hard and protective scaffolding that serves as a home to many colorful species of single-celled algae. The two organisms have evolved over millennia to work together, with corals providing shelter to algae,
In Taiwan, a quick stop at a local convenience store allows you to grab a hot dog whenever you want. But have you ever wondered how this popular snack got its unique name and became a leading light of American cuisine? First, the name “hot dog” is actually a combination of different ideas. Vendors called the sausages “red hot” to get customers to buy one fresh off their grills. As for the “dog” part, it’s a playful joke to compare the meat of the sausage to that of a dog—specifically , a dachshund. This small, long dog breed was
A: Also, police seized seven pornographic videos featuring minors that entertainer Mickey Huang purchased in his hard disc. B: That’s just outrageous! A: His ex-girlfriend entertainer Little S and some others are calling for a legal amendment to increase the penalty. B: The buyers and sellers should both be punished heavily. A: But the porn sellers’ Web sites are mostly overseas, so they are hard to catch. A: 此外警方也在黃子佼的硬碟裡,查到7部他買的未成年色情片。 B: 真是令人火大! A: 他的前女友小S等人,還呼籲修法,加重相關的罰則。 B: 購買者和販賣者雙方都該重罰。 A: 不過色情網站大多設在海外要抓也不容易吧。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)