第2720期:Why is it so hard to get rid of bed bugs?(2)

If they find themselves in a particularly cool environment, they can enter a dormant state and survive over a year without feeding. While bedbugs can easily move around, they usually stay within 20 feet of where their human host is regularly sitting or sleeping. So new infestations are most often the result of humans accidentally transporting bugs via furniture, clothing, or other items.如果它们身处特别凉爽的环境中，就会进入休眠状态，无需进食即可存活一年以上。虽然臭虫很容易四处移动，但它们通常待在距离人类宿主日常起居或睡眠场所 20 英尺以内的地方。因此，新的虫害通常是由于人类意外地通过家具、衣物或其他物品将臭虫带入室内造成的。Throughout human history, we've tried almost everything to prevent these itchy invasions. In Eastern Europe, for example, people used bean leaves, which can trap bedbugs in their tiny, hooked hairs. Another common trick was running lit candles along bed frames to burn any hiding insects. While these methods were occasionally effective, bedbugs continued to thrive. And in the early 1900s, as central heating made homes more livable to humans and bugs year-round, populations hit unprecedented heights.纵观人类历史，我们几乎尝试了所有方法来阻止这些令人瘙痒的入侵。例如，在东欧，人们使用豆叶，用它们细小的钩毛捕捉臭虫。另一个常用的伎俩是沿着床架点燃蜡烛，烧死任何藏匿的昆虫。虽然这些方法偶尔有效，但臭虫仍然猖獗。到了20世纪初，随着中央供暖系统的出现，房屋一年四季都更适合人类和臭虫居住，臭虫数量达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 dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane. Also known as DDT, this neurotoxin disrupts insects’ nervous systems, causing spasms and death. For decades, DDT was used across the globe to control agricultural pests and combat insect-borne diseases. However, in the 1970s, scientists realized DDT had accumulated to dangerous levels in the environment, potentially putting human health at risk. Many countries began banning DDT, but not before it had rid the world almost entirely of bedbugs. Almost.但臭虫的复兴并未持续太久。20世纪40年代，一种名为二氯二苯三氯乙烷的强效杀虫剂曾一度威胁着这种害虫的生存。这种神经毒素又名滴滴涕（DDT），会破坏昆虫的神经系统，导致其痉挛甚至死亡。几十年来，DDT一直被世界各地用于控制农业害虫和对抗虫媒疾病。然而，到了20世纪70年代，科学家们意识到DDT在环境中的积累量已达到危险水平，可能危及人类健康。许多国家开始禁用DDT，但在此之前，它几乎彻底消灭了世界上的臭虫。After decades of quiet comfort, bedbugs reemerged in the early 2000s, shepherded by fast-moving international trade. 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.在经历了数十年的平静之后，臭虫在21世纪初再次出现，这得益于快速发展的国际贸易。许多臭虫从那时起就对杀虫剂产生了抗药性，进化出了一些特性，例如外骨骼变得更厚，体内分解杀虫剂毒素的能力也更强。Thankfully, we still have options. People can utilize high heat, as most bedbugs and their eggs can’t survive temperatures above 45° Celsius. And despite their adaptations, bedbugs remain vulnerable to the suction of a vacuum cleaner. While simple, these tools warrant some gratitude. After all, unlike naval ships of the past, we no longer rely on the services of our other age-old nemesis, the cockroach.谢天谢地，我们还有其他选择。人们可以利用高温，因为大多数臭虫及其卵无法在45摄氏度以上的温度下生存。尽管臭虫已经适应了高温，但它们仍然容易受到吸尘器的吸力影响。虽然这些工具简单易用，但仍然值得感激。毕竟，与过去的海军舰艇不同，我们不再依赖另一个宿敌——蟑螂——的服务。