a bull was found dead on a farm in North Carolina.

一頭公牛被發現死在北卡羅來納州的一個農場裡。

Dead by exsanguination.

死於滅頂之災。

Which means it was drained of blood.

這意味著它被吸乾了血。

The culprit wasn't real-life vampires,

罪魁禍首不是現實生活中的吸血鬼。

but something just as frightening:

但同樣可怕的東西。

an army of more than 1,000 Asian longhorned ticks.

一支由1000多隻亞洲長角蜱組成的軍隊。

But here's the thing.

但事情是這樣的

As scary as that sounds,

雖然聽起來很可怕。

Asian longhorns are just one

亞洲長角鹿只是其中之一

of about 90 tick species found in the US.

在美國發現的約90種蜱蟲中。

All of them suck blood, all of them can carry disease,

他們都會吸血，都會帶病。

and all of them are incredibly difficult to kill.

而且都是非常難殺的。

The Asian longhorned tick is truly a villainous pest.

亞洲長角蜱是真正的惡性害蟲。

Not only is it an invasive species,

它不僅是一種入侵物種。

but it can also clone itself over and over again.

但它也可以反覆克隆自己。

Since it was first reported in 2017,

自2017年首次報道以來。

it's crawled its way to at least 12 other states.

它已經爬到了至少12個其他州。

Including where we are here, New York.

包括我們這裡的紐約。

Danielle Tufts: OK, so this is an adult.

Danielle Tufts:好吧，所以這是一個成年人。

This looks like the Asian longhorned tick to me.

在我看來，這像是亞洲長角蝨。

Jones: So this the infamous

瓊斯。所以這就是臭名昭著的

Asian longhorn tick? Tufts: Yep.

亞洲長角蝨？塔夫茨是的。

Jones: That's Danielle Tufts,

瓊斯，那是丹妮爾-塔夫特那是Danielle Tufts

a disease ecologist at Columbia University.

哥倫比亞大學的疾病生態學家。

She's studying ticks in Staten Island

她在史坦頓島研究蜱蟲問題

to figure out what diseases they carry.

以弄清它們攜帶的是什麼疾病。

But first, she has to collect them.

但首先，她要收集它們。

Tufts: So, this is what we call a drag cloth,

塔夫茨。所以，這就是我們所說的拖布。

and it's a meter by meter, so a meter squared.

而且是一米一米的，所以是一米的平方。

And basically what we would do

基本上我們要做的

is we just walk at a nice, even, slow pace

我們只是走在一個很好的，均勻的，緩慢的步伐。

and drag this right behind us.

並把這個拖到我們身後。

And we'll stop every about 20 meters or so,

我們每隔20米左右就會停下來。

and we'll flip the cloth over,

我們會把布翻過來。

and we'll look for whatever ticks are on the backside.

而我們會尋找任何蜱蟲的背面。

Jones: Contrary to what many people believe,

瓊斯。與許多人的想法相反

ticks don't actively seek you out.

蜱蟲不會主動找你。

Tufts: Ah, so here's a tick right here.

塔夫茨啊，所以這裡有一個蜱就在這裡。

Jones: Tick spotted!

瓊斯Tick spotted!

So many ticks in this forest. Tufts: Oh, yeah.

這片森林裡有很多蝨子塔夫茨哦，是的。

This is a very ticky forest.

這是一個非常棘手的森林。

Jones: And they're definitely

瓊斯。他們絕對是

not jumping on you from trees.

而不是從樹上跳到你身上。

In fact, ticks can't even jump.

其實，蜱蟲連跳都不會跳。

They're actually more like opportunists

他們其實更像是機會主義者

who take what they can get.

誰拿他們能得到的東西。

Tufts: Ticks are what we call sit-and-wait predators,

塔夫茨蜱蟲是我們所說的坐等捕食者。

where they climb up to the top of the blades of grass

在那裡，他們爬上了草叢的頂端。

and they put their arms out.

他們把手臂伸出來。

And at the top of their arms they have little sticky pads.

而在他們的手臂頂部，他們有小粘墊。

And those pads will get attracted to this.

而這些墊子會被吸引到這裡來。

And this is how they get stuck on your pants

它們就是這樣粘在你的褲子上的

or on other animals in the wild as well.

或在野生的其他動物身上也是如此。

Jones: And what do you call the, like,

瓊斯。你叫什麼，喜歡。

when they stick their hands up like this?

當他們像這樣舉起手來的時候？

Tufts: We call that questing or host-seeking.

塔夫茨。我們把它叫做 "探尋 "或 "尋找宿主"。

Jones: Yeah, ticks are literally on a quest for blood!

瓊斯是啊，蜱是字面上的追求血液！

And they've mastered the art of extracting it,

而且他們已經掌握了提取它的技巧。

all without getting caught.

都沒有被抓到。

After a tick crawls onto you,

在一隻蜱蟲爬到你身上後。

it sneaks into a concealed crevice, like your armpit.

它潛入一個隱蔽的縫隙，比如你的腋窩。

And after that, it uses two horrifying hooklike structures

而在這之後，它使用了兩個恐怖的鉤狀結構

to tear into your flesh and keep from falling off.

撕開你的肉體，不讓你掉下來。

Then, they insert what is basically a straw

然後，他們插入的基本上是一根稻草。

covered in spikes, like a piece of barbed wire,

佈滿了尖刺，就像一根根鐵絲網。

which makes them even harder to remove.

這使得它們更加難以去除。

And this sounds like it would hurt, a lot.

而這聽起來好像會很痛，很痛。

But ticks have another trick up their sleeve,

但蜱蟲還有另一招。

or rather their mouth.

或者說他們的嘴。

Saliva.

唾液。

It's a tick's ultimate weapon to avoid detection.

這是蜱蟲躲避檢測的終極武器。

It contains pain-numbing properties,

它含有止痛作用。

so you don't notice them

所以你不會注意到他們

even as they stab and rip your flesh.

即使他們刺傷和撕裂你的肉體。

Plus, it suppresses your immune system,

另外，它還會抑制你的免疫系統。

so the wound is less likely to get red or itchy.

所以傷口不易發紅或發癢。

That's why ticks can stay in you undetected for days,

這就是為什麼蜱蟲可以在你體內停留幾天而不被發現的原因。

even as they grow to several times their normal size.

即使它們長到正常大小的幾倍。

And if you do find a tick in time to get it off,

如果你真的發現了一個蝨子，及時把它弄掉。

it won't die easily.

它不會輕易死去。

Tufts says that ticks can survive

塔夫茨說，蜱蟲可以生存

for as long as two years without a blood meal.

長達兩年不吃血食。

And they're also masters of the elements.

而且他們也是元素的主人。

They can tolerate long periods of drought,

它們能忍受長時間的乾旱。

and some species can survive underwater

和一些物種可以在水下生存

for two to three days.

兩到三天的時間。

So, yeah, flushing them down the toilet or sink

所以，是的，把它們衝到馬桶或水槽裡去

likely won't kill them.

很可能不會殺死他們。

Tufts: If you put them in the sink, sometimes

塔夫茨。如果你把它們放在水槽裡，有時... ...

they'll crawl back out of the sink.

他們會從水槽裡爬出來。

Jones: Now, all of this wouldn't be such a big problem

瓊斯。現在，所有這一切都不會是一個大問題了

if it weren't for the diseases they carry.

如果不是因為它們攜帶的疾病。

In the US alone,

僅在美國。

they transmit at least 16 diseases to humans.

它們至少向人類傳播16種疾病。

That's more than any other insect, including mosquitoes.

這比其他任何昆蟲都要多，包括蚊子。

Lyme disease alone, for example,

比如說，單單是萊姆病。

infects an estimated 300,000 Americans each year.

據估計，每年有30萬美國人被感染。

And it's only getting worse.

而且情況只會越來越糟。

In 2004, there were about 23,000 cases of tick-borne disease

2004年，約有23,000個蜱傳疾病病例

reported to the CDC.

向疾控中心報告。

But by 2017,

但到了2017年。

that number had almost tripled to nearly 60,000.

該數字幾乎增加了兩倍，達到近6萬。

But what isn't clear is why.

但不清楚的是為什麼。

Why ticks and the diseases they carry are spreading.

為什麼蜱蟲及其攜帶的疾病會傳播。

Though Tufts and other scientists say

雖然塔夫茨和其他科學家說

that climate change is at least partly to blame.

氣候變化至少是部分原因。

Tufts: We've been having pretty mild winters,

塔夫茨我們一直有相當溫和的冬天。

which can promote survival,

可以促進生存。

overwintering survival of hosts and of the vectors,

宿主和媒介的越冬生存。

which also will lead to new expansion.

這也將導致新的擴張。

Jones: Whatever the reason, there are tons of ticks.

瓊斯。不管是什麼原因，有大量的蝨子。

Pretty much everywhere.

幾乎無處不在。

So, the next time you go for a hike,

所以，下次你去遠足的時候。

keep these tips in mind.

牢記這些提示。

Stay on the trails, where ticks are less likely to hang out.

留在小徑上，那裡的蜱蟲不太可能出沒。

Wear bug spray; preferably something with DEET.

穿上防蟲噴霧，最好是含有DEET的東西。

Tuck your pants into your socks,

把你的褲子塞進襪子裡。

so nothing can crawl onto your legs.

所以沒有什麼可以爬到你的腿上。

Wear light clothes, so anything that does get on you

穿著輕薄的衣服，所以任何東西都會沾到你的身上

is easy to spot.

是很容易發現的。

And, of course, always do a tick check

當然，也要經常檢查一下。

once you're out of the woods.

一旦你離開了樹林。

All right, so we're gonna do a tick check,

好吧，所以我們要做一個勾選檢查。

which you recommend doing after you get out of the woods.

你建議在你離開樹林後再做。

Tufts: Absolutely.

塔夫茨當然可以

Jones: So, crevices...

瓊斯。所以，縫隙...

Tufts: What you want to look for is on your pants.

塔夫茨。你要找的是你的褲子上。

I wear rubber boots, so that they don't crawl up there.

我穿的是橡膠靴，這樣他們就不會爬上去了。

But, like, for here, my pants,

但是，就像，對於這裡，我的褲子。

any of these little crevices along here, I would look for.

任何這些小縫隙沿著這裡，我會尋找。

Jones: I mean, I feel like those little guys are definitely,

瓊斯，我是說，我覺得那些小傢伙我的意思是，我覺得那些小傢伙絕對是。

like, the larvae form are definitely on me, right?

就像，幼蟲的形態絕對在我身上，對吧？

Somewhere.

某處。

Tufts: Maybe, maybe not.

塔夫茨也許是，也許不是。

And then you want to check up around your belt region.

然後你要檢查一下你的腰帶區域周圍。

Jones: This is, like, not safe for work.

瓊斯。這就像，不安全的工作。

Tufts: It's also good when you are hiking with a friend

塔夫茨。當你和朋友一起徒步旅行時，這也是很好的。

to check each other.

來互相檢查。

So, for instance, I would check your back.

所以，比如說，我會檢查你的背部。

Jones: I feel like we're like chimpanzees or something.

瓊斯，我覺得我們就像黑猩猩一樣我覺得我們就像黑猩猩什麼的。

Tufts: Yeah, grooming behavior.

塔夫茨是啊，修飾行為。

So, you want to check all along the sleeves,

所以，你要沿著袖子檢查一遍。

on anywhere on the back. Jones: So really, like,

背面的任何地方。瓊斯。所以真的，喜歡。

on top of clothing?

在衣服上？

Like, you don't need to, like, strip down?

就像，你不需要，喜歡，脫光？

Tufts: No, no, you can strip down later in the shower.

塔夫特不，不，你可以脫衣服以後在洗澡。

Jones: Great.

瓊斯。瓊斯：