Over a thousand honeybees forming an elliptical shape as they gather on a cherry tree instead of staying in a beehive was something that farm owner Tsai Cheng-ming had never seen in the several decades that he has lived on Jinjhen Mountain in Taitung County’s Taimali Township. After observing the bees for nearly two hours, the following day when he went back the bees were nowhere to be found. Tsai Nu-jen, head of Taitung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station’s Department of Crop Environment, says that this is a natural swarming phenomenon among China’s wild honeybees, typically occurring in the spring. It means that the local ecological environment is doing well, he says.
Tsai Cheng-ming, owner of Chingshan Farm on Jinjhen Mountain, says that on the morning of Feb. 23 when he was cleaning up his farm he came across a ball-shaped object on a tree by the side of the road. After walking closer to it, he discovered that it was a swarm of over a thousand bees. The “ball of bees” was squirming around on the 3m-tall cherry tree, approximately 1.5 from the ground, Tsai says, adding that the elliptical shape was about 20cm in diameter.
Tsai Nu-jen says that this particular swarm of honeybees from China was in the middle of swarming. Once a group of honeybees grows large and strong enough, it produces a new queen, he says, adding that the old queen leaves the colony and takes a swarm of bees with her, which gathers on a tree until the swarm is complete. Then it prepares to move to a suitable location to make a new colony, while the old colony is left to the new queen bee. The phenomenon of swarming is most commonly seen in the spring, particularly among wild Chinese honeybees. The so-called ball of bees is only a temporary gathering — a natural phenomenon that should not alarm people. Swarming means that a group of honeybees is gradually getting stronger. Seeing a group of bees swarming in the wild is good news, especially in recent years with increasing numbers of bee colonies disappearing.
(Liberty Times, Translated by Kyle Jeffcoat)
Photo: Wang Hsiu-ting, Liberty Times
照片：自由時報記者王秀亭
上千隻蜜蜂沒在蜂窩裡，卻是聚集在櫻花樹上，形成一團橢圓形蜂球，台東太麻里鄉農園主人蔡政銘說，在金針山生活三、四十年，首見這種情形，觀察了將近兩小時，隔日再看已不見蹤影，台東農業改良場作物環境課長蔡恕仁表示，這是中國野蜂分巢的自然現象，多發生在春天，顯示當地自然生態良好。
金針山青山農園主人蔡政銘表示，二月廿三日上午整理園裡環境時，發現路邊的櫻花樹上有一團球狀物體，走近一看竟是上千隻蜜蜂聚集在一起，「蜂球」附著三公尺高的櫻花樹上蠕動著，離地約一點五公尺，是個長約二十公分的橢圓形球體。
蔡恕仁表示，此一蜂群是中國野蜂正在分巢，每當蜜蜂族群壯大到一定程度，產生新的蜂后時，舊蜂后即會帶走一群蜜蜂，到樹上集結，待集結完成，便準備到下一個適合做巢地點，準備做下一個巢，舊巢就留給新的蜂后；分巢現象常見於春天，特別是中國野蜂，樹上的蜂球只是短暫集結，為一自然現象，民眾不必太過恐慌，分巢顯示蜂群逐漸壯大，特別是近年來蜂群消失時有所聞，野外蜂群有分巢是個好消息。
（自由時報記者王秀亭）
Photo: Wang Hsiu-ting, Liberty Times
照片：自由時報記者王秀亭
1. elliptical adj.
橢圓形的 (tuo3 yuan2 xing2 de5)
例: The moon follows an elliptical path around the earth.
(月球依循橢圓形的軌道繞地球。)
2. ecological adj.
生態的；生態學的 (sheng1 tai4 de5; sheng1 tai4 xue2 de5)
例: Destruction of the rain forests is a major ecological problem.
(破壞雨林是個嚴重的生態學問題。)
3. temporary adj.
暫時的；短暫的 (zan4 shi2 de5; duan3 zan4 de5)
例: This is only a temporary setback. We’ll be back on our feet in no time.
(這只是暫時的挫折。我們定會快速恢復。)
Where do you want to go for the summer vacation? (1/3) 放暑假你想去哪裡玩？（一） A: What are you searching for on the Internet? B: The summer vacation has begun, so I’m searching for travel destinations. A: Google recently published a list of the most searched places in Taiwan, perhaps you could use it as a reference. B: Let me see. . . How come the top spot is a 7-Eleven? A: 你在網路上搜尋什麼？ B: 開始放暑假了，我在搜尋旅遊的景點。 A: 前陣子Google公布了台灣的年度熱搜地點，或許你可以參考一下。 B: 我看看……榜首怎麼是一家7-Eleven便利商店？ （Translated by Edward Jones, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
Former member of boy band TOP1 Sean Tseng has since gone solo, not only releasing his own records, but also becoming a fitness expert and opening his own fitness studio. He recently took part in the second Genghis Khan Cup National Bodybuilding Cup contest organized by celebrity gym owner Holger Chen, and despite not winning any titles, he says it was still a “bromantic experience.” Sean prepared for the contest by putting himself through three months of rigorous dietary restrictions and intense exercise that made his body as fit and lean as a character from the Ultimate Muscle game series, with
A: According to Google, the most searched place in Taiwan is the Dongchi branch of 7-Eleven in Changhua County’s Lugang Township. B: I would have thought it would be Taipei 101. A: Taipei 101 is the 17th most searched destination. Other locations in the top 10 include Taitung County’s Dawu Township, Baishatun Gong Tian Temple in Miaoli County and Nantou County’s Wuling mountain range. B: That’s great. I’ve been meaning to travel to Taitung for ages. A: 根據Google，台灣熱搜地點第一名，是位於彰化縣鹿港鎮的7-Eleven 東崎門市。 B: 我還以為會是台北101。 A: 台北101排在第十七名，其它像台東縣大武鄉、苗栗縣白沙屯拱天宮、南投縣武嶺都是前十名的景點。 B: 太棒了，我一直很想去台東玩。 （Translated by Edward Jones, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
A: Are there any other “hot” search locations? B: Various train stations across the nation and places that hit the headlines also made it to the list. A: OK then, let’s begin at the No. 1 place on the list: Lugang Township. B: Lugang Old Street is a great place to explore, and there are lots of delicious things to eat. I’ll book the transportation right away! A: 還有哪些熱搜地點呢？ B: 其它像各地的火車站，及重大新聞的發生地點也都榜上有名。 A: 那我們就從榜首鹿港鎮開始吧。 B: 鹿港老街好逛又好吃，我馬上訂車票！ （Translated by Edward Jones, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
RSS