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）
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Several European cities are replacing traditional white streetlights with red lighting to reduce light pollution and protect wildlife. In Copenhagen’s suburb of Gladsaxe, red LED lights have been installed along roads and cycle paths near bat habitats. The lights are placed at intervals that create darker gaps, allowing light-sensitive animals to cross safely without being exposed to predators and still providing enough visibility for people. Studies have shown that white and green light can reduce bat activity, whereas red light has little to no effect. Studies conducted in the Netherlands found that light-sensitive bats remain active under red lighting.
1. 我忽然想起了一首以前聽過的歌。 ˇ Suddenly I recalled a song I once heard. ˇ Suddenly I was reminded of a song I once heard. χ Suddenly I reminded a song I once heard. 註：remind 是「提醒」、「使想起」；recall 含有「回想起」、「想起」的意思。前者指「某人／某事提醒某人某件事情」，後者為「某人主動地想起了某事或某人」，試比較下列句子： I reminded him that there would be a lecture in the evening.（我提醒他晚上有演講。） He recalled that there would be a lecture in the evening.（他想起晚上有演講。） 2. 他們創造了許多經濟奇蹟。 ˇ They have worked (/performed/done) economic wonders. χ They have created economic wonders. 註：中文「創造」用法較廣泛，但英語裡的 create 不可濫用。例如：「創造了奇蹟」，不能說 to create miracles (wonders)；應說 to work (perform, do) miracles 或 to do mighty work。下列幾句中 create 的用法是正確的： Dickens created many characters. MLA Style—This style was created by the Modern Language Association of America in 1985. 3. 僅僅一年他發明了不少有用的機器。 ˇ In
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