VOA慢速英语:Restrict Pesticides to Save Bees

A decline in the number of honeybees is a growing problem worldwide. The decreasing bee population could contribute to an increase in prices for crops that depend on pollination by honeybees.
蜜蜂数量的下降是一个全球日益严重的问题。蜜蜂种群持续减少可能有助于长依赖蜜蜂授粉的农作物价格的上涨。

Researchers continue to study the decline while beekeepers like Terrence Ingram struggle to keep their bee colonies alive. He says he loves being at the center of a swarm of bees.
研究人员继续研究着这一下降，而像Terrence Ingram等养蜂人则在努力保持他们的蜂群存活。他说，他喜欢呆在蜂群的中心。

"I love beekeeping. It's one of God's greatest miracles."
”我喜欢养蜂，这是上帝的最伟大的奇迹之一。”

He has raised honeybees since 1954 in managed colonies behind his house in rural Apple River, Illinois.
他自1954年养蜂以来，就在自己位于伊利诺伊州的Apple River镇农村地区的屋后饲养有管理的蜂群。

"We had 250 hives at one time. We sold five, six tons of honey a year."
“我们曾在同一时间拥有250个蜂箱，我一年卖出五，六吨蜂蜜。”

But that number is declining.
但这一数字正在下降。

"Now we're down to about probably four tons."
“现在我们下降到大约四吨。”

Not because the 73 year-old beekeeper is slowing down, but because there are fewer bees producing honey. He says the decline in his bee population began in 1996. he blames that decline on the use of insecticides and herbicides on the farmland surrounding his property.
不是因为这位73岁的养蜂人正在慢下来，而是因为生产蜜的蜜蜂少了。他说，从1996年开始，蜜蜂的数量下降。他指责自家附近农田使用了杀虫剂和除草剂。

"Every three weeks that summer, they were spraying with the airplane, and by the end of the year, I didn't have any of my 250 hives left."
“那年夏天每三周，他们就使用飞机喷洒。到那年年底，我250个蜂箱颗粒无收。”

This caught the attention of researchers like Christian Krupke, a professor at Purdue University who studies bees and other insects.
这引起了像普渡大学研究蜜蜂和昆虫的教授Christian Krupke等研究人员的注意。

"There have been similar reports from Europe in the past, and so we looked into it a little bit further from the point of view of wondering first of all what is killing these bees, and second of all how are these bees acquiring whatever this toxic chemical is."
“过去欧洲一直有类似的报道，所以我们从该角度出发稍微深入调查了一下。首先要知道是什么杀死了这些蜜蜂；其次，蜜蜂是如何感染上这些有毒化学品。”

Experts say there are many reasons for the worldwide bee decline, not just insecticides.
专家称，全球蜜蜂数量下降有许多原因，而不只是因为杀虫剂。

But in this case, Proffessor Krupke and his colleagues thought insecticides might be the cause. So they studied the insecticides - known as neonicotinoids - that are applied to seeds as they are planted in the ground, rather than sprayed from above.
但在该案例中，Krupke教授和他的同事们认为杀虫剂可能就是其诱因。因此，他们研究了这种被称为新烟碱类的杀虫剂，当播种到地下时，这种杀虫剂被应用于种子本身，而不是从地面上喷洒。

"The two compounds that kept coming up when we tested these dead bees were the pesticides clothianidin and thiamethoxam. Those are insecticides that are applied to corn seeds."
“我们检测这些死蜂时不断出现的这两种化学物是杀虫剂clothianidin和thiamethoxam，这些都是应用于玉米种子的两种杀虫剂。”

About 30 years ago, there were 4 million managed bee colonies throughout the United States. Today, there are fewer than 2 million. Researchers like Professor Krupke blame that in part on the use of insecticides.
大约30年前，整个美国有400万有管理的蜂群。而今，这一数字少于200万。像Krupke教授等研究人员就其部分归咎于杀虫剂的应用。

"Can we get by without neonicotinoids insecticides in these field crops? I believe we can. I believe we have data that show that we can."
“我们能在这些农田作物中不使用新烟碱类杀虫剂吗？我认为我们可以，有数据表明我们能够做到。”

This December, the European Union plans to ban the use of some insecticides that researchers have linked to bee deaths. No such restrictions are planned in the United States.
今年12月，欧盟计划禁止使用某些杀虫剂，研究人员已将其与蜜蜂死亡联系起来。美国没有计划出台这样的限制。
Illinois beekeeper Terrence Ingram says some of the damage already done is permanent.
伊利诺伊州的养蜂人Terrence Ingram说，一些伤害是永久性的。

"We've got many bee keepers around here that have quit, just gone out of business because they can't succeed."
“我们这附近很多养蜂人因为没法成功都已经退出。”

But not Terrence Ingram, he says his passion for bees is just as strong as it was when he tended his first colony, more than 60 years ago.
但不包括Terrence Ingram。他说，他对蜜蜂的激情和他60多年前照顾他第一个蜂箱时一样强烈。