Name: 為什麼除掉臭蟲這麼難？- 蓋爾-E-裡奇 (Why is it so hard to get rid of bed bugs? - Gale E. Ridge)
Uploaded: 2025-07-14T00:06:32.000Z
Duration: 6 min 24 s

In 1834, the British Royal Navy ship, the Chanticleer, was dealing with a terrible cockroach infestation.

1834 年，英國皇家海軍的 "Chanticleer "號軍艦遭遇了可怕的蟑螂肆虐。

The ship's surgeon, however, wrote enthusiastically about the stowaways, describing them as a most valuable insect.

然而，船上的外科醫生卻在信中熱情地介紹了這些偷渡者，稱它們是最寶貴的昆蟲。

Bedbugs have tormented humans for millennia, so detested that their mere mention can make hearts race and arms itch.

千百年來，臭蟲一直折磨著人類，人們對它們深惡痛絕，只要一提到它們，就會心跳加速，手臂發癢。

So why are these unwelcomed houseguests so difficult to defeat?

那麼，為什麼這些不速之客如此難以戰勝呢？

There are approximately 100 species of bedbugs.

Thankfully, only three feed on humans, all of which are chestnut brown, half a centimeter long, and incredibly flat— as long as they haven't eaten recently.

值得慶幸的是，只有三種以人類為食，它們都是慄棕色，半釐米長，扁平得令人難以置信--只要它們最近沒有吃過東西。

To find their next blood meal, bedbugs follow the biological signals our bodies release, such as carbon dioxide, odor, and body heat.

為了找到下一頓血食，臭蟲會追蹤我們身體釋放的生物信號，如二氧化碳、氣味和體溫。

Once located, they use their straw-like mouthparts to inject a cocktail of proteins that dilate blood vessels for easier feeding, along with an anesthetic to block any pain that might give them away.

一旦找到它們，它們就會用吸管狀的口器注射一種雞尾酒蛋白質，這種蛋白質可以擴張血管，方便進食，同時還會注射一種麻醉劑，以阻斷可能暴露它們身份的任何疼痛。

These compounds and other foreign proteins are what can trigger our immune response.

這些化合物和其他外來蛋白質會引發我們的免疫反應。

While some people's bodies don't react to these bites, others develop itchy red lesions that can stick around for several weeks.

雖然有些人的身體對這些叮咬沒有反應，但有些人會出現瘙癢的紅色病變，並可能持續數週。

And these bites can appear anywhere on the body.

這些叮咬可能出現在身體的任何部位。

It's a myth that they always appear in neat rows or sets of three.

它們總是整齊地排成一排或三組，這是一個神話。

While they're not considered social insects like bees or ants, bedbugs cooperate in fascinating ways.

雖然臭蟲並不像蜜蜂或螞蟻那樣被視為社會性昆蟲，但它們的合作方式卻令人著迷。

They huddle together in piles, called refugia, stacking their flat bodies within wall cracks or furniture, which is thought to help them preserve precious moisture and energy reserves.

它們擠成一堆，稱為 "避難所"，將扁平的身體堆放在牆縫或傢俱內，這被認為有助於它們保存寶貴的水分和能量儲備。

They release chemical signals known as pheromones to alert each other to threats.

它們會釋放稱為資訊素的化學信號，提醒對方注意威脅。

And their feces are rich in volatile compounds that help guide feeding bedbugs back to the safety of the refugia in the dark.

它們的糞便中含有豐富的揮發性化合物，有助於引導進食的臭蟲在黑暗中回到安全的避難所。

Once a colony is established, it has tremendous staying power.

殖民地一旦建立起來，就會有巨大的持久力。

Bedbugs can go weeks or months without a meal.

臭蟲可以幾周或幾個月不吃東西。

If they find themselves in a particularly cool environment, they can enter a dormant state and survive over a year without feeding.

如果發現自己處於特別涼爽的環境中，它們就會進入休眠狀態，在不進食的情況下可以存活一年以上。

While bedbugs can easily move around, they usually stay within 20 feet of where their human host is regularly sitting or sleeping.

雖然臭蟲很容易四處移動，但它們通常會呆在人類宿主經常坐著或睡覺的 20 英尺範圍內。

So, new infestations are most often the result of humans accidentally transporting bugs via furniture, clothing, or other items.

是以，新的蟲害通常是人類通過傢俱、衣物或其他物品不小心攜帶蟲子造成的。

Throughout human history, we've tried almost everything to prevent these itchy invasions.

縱觀人類歷史，我們幾乎用盡了一切辦法來防止這些瘙癢的入侵。

In Eastern Europe, for example, people used bean leaves, which can trap bedbugs in their tiny, hooked hairs.

例如，在東歐，人們使用豆葉，豆葉上的細小鉤毛可以捕捉臭蟲。

Another common trick was running lit candles along bed frames to burn any hiding insects.

另一個常用的伎倆是在床架上點燃蠟燭，燒死藏匿的昆蟲。

While these methods were occasionally effective, bedbugs continued to thrive.

雖然這些方法偶爾有效，但臭蟲依然猖獗。

And in the early 1900s, as central heating made homes more livable to humans and bugs year-round, populations hit unprecedented heights.

20 世紀初，隨著中央供暖系統的普及，人類和蟲子都可以全年居住在家中，蟲子的數量也達到了前所未有的高度。

But this bedbug renaissance was short-lived.

In the 1940s, the pest faced an existential threat in the powerful insecticide called dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane.

20 世紀 40 年代，這種害蟲面臨著一種名為二氯二苯三氯乙烷的強力殺蟲劑的威脅。

Also known as DDT, this neurotoxin disrupts insects' nervous systems, causing spasms and death.

這種神經毒素也被稱為滴滴涕，會擾亂昆蟲的神經系統，導致痙攣和死亡。

For decades, DDT was used across the globe to control agricultural pests and combat insect-borne diseases.

幾十年來，滴滴涕在全球範圍內被用於控制農業害蟲和防治蟲媒疾病。

However, in the 1970s, scientists realized

然而，在 20 世紀 70 年代，科學家們意識到

DDT had accumulated to dangerous levels in the environment, potentially putting human health at risk.

滴滴涕在環境中的累積達到了危險的水準，有可能危及人類健康。

Many countries began banning DDT, but not before it had rid the world almost entirely of bedbugs.

許多國家開始禁用滴滴涕，但在此之前，滴滴涕幾乎在全世界消滅了所有臭蟲。

After decades of quiet comfort, bedbugs re-emerged in the early 2000s, shepherded by fast-moving international trade.

在經歷了數十年的平靜安逸之後，臭蟲在快速發展的國際貿易的推動下，於 2000 年代初重新出現。

Many of these insects have since become pesticide-resistant, developing traits like thicker exoskeletons and the enhanced ability to break down insecticide toxins in their bodies.

後來，這些昆蟲中的許多都產生了抗殺蟲劑性，形成了更厚的外骨骼和更強的分解體內殺蟲劑毒素的能力等特徵。

People can utilize high heat, as most bedbugs and their eggs can't survive temperatures above 45 degrees Celsius.

人們可以利用高溫，因為大多數臭蟲及其蟲卵都無法在 45 攝氏度以上的溫度下生存。

And despite their adaptations, bedbugs remain vulnerable to the suction of a vacuum cleaner.

儘管臭蟲具有適應能力，但在吸塵器的吸力面前，它們仍然不堪一擊。

While simple, these tools warrant some gratitude.

這些工具雖然簡單，但值得我們感謝。

After all, unlike naval ships of the past, we no longer rely on the services of our other age-old nemesis— the cockroach.

畢竟，與過去的軍艦不同，我們不再依賴於另一個古老的剋星--蟑螂的服務。