How a new 'superfood' for bees could help our own food security 為蜜蜂研發的一種新型 “超級食物” 如何幫助保障人類自身的食品安全

本集內容

How a new ‘superfood’ for bees could help our own food security

為蜜蜂研發的一種新型 “超級食物” 如何幫助保障人類自身的食品安全

文字稿

Nick Mensikov, Cardiff, Vale and Valleys Beekeepers Association
“I know the queen is in here somewhere. Whether we find her is another thing.”

尼克·門西科夫卡迪夫、格拉摩根谷和南威爾士山谷養蜂人協會
“我知道蜂王就在這裡面的某個地方。至於我們能不能找到她，那就是另一回事瞭。”

Nick has been keeping honeybees for 15 years and selling the honey in South Wales.

尼克從事養蜂工作已經 15 年瞭，他一直在南威爾士銷售蜂蜜。

But he’s run into problems. In the last year, his bees have been dying in huge numbers.

但他遇到瞭一些麻煩。在過去的一年中，他的蜜蜂大量死亡。

Nick Mensikov, Cardiff, Vale and Valleys Beekeepers Association
“It’s just a bit of an unknown, really, at the present moment. This year, I’ve lost around about 75 per cent of the colonies through the winter. Although the hives have all been full of food, the bees have just dwindled. Most of the bees survived through January, February, and then, puff, they were just sort of vanished.”

尼克·門西科夫卡迪夫、維爾和山谷養蜂人協會
“現在這種情況真的有點讓人摸不著頭腦。今年冬天，我大概失去瞭 75% 的蜂群。雖然蜂巢裡一直裝滿瞭食物，但蜜蜂數量還是在大幅減少。大部分蜜蜂熬過瞭一月和二月，然後它們就好像突然消失瞭。”

Georgina Rannard, AYYBLOG Correspondent

Bees gather what they need to make honey from flowers, and that honey is their food in winter. But to replace the honey that we eat, lots of beekeepers feed them supplementary food, basically sugar and water. But scientists say that that food is missing a key essential ingredient.

喬治娜·蘭納德 AYYBLOG 通訊員

蜜蜂從花朵中采集制作蜂蜜所需的物質，而這些蜂蜜就是它們冬天的食物。然而為瞭代替被人類吃掉的蜂蜜，許多養蜂人會給它們喂食補充食物，基本上就是糖和水。但科學傢們表示，這種食物缺少一種關鍵的必要成分。

After serving different foods to bees for 15 years, scientists have finally discovered how to manufacture a core ingredient.

在不斷給蜜蜂喂食不同的食物 15 年後，科學傢們終於發現瞭如何制造一種核心成分。

It’s called sterol, and has always been missing from the supplementary food beekeepers use.

這種被稱為甾醇的物質一直以來都是養蜂人使用的補充食物中所缺失的成分。

At Oxford University, scientists like Jennifer develop foods for bees.

在牛津大學，和詹妮弗一起共事的科學傢們在為蜜蜂研發食物。

Like humans, bees must eat a varied diet to stay healthy.

就像人類一樣，蜜蜂必須攝入多樣化的飲食才能保持健康。

Jennifer Chennells, Oxford University
“So we’re putting lots of different ingredients into like a cookie dough for the bees, different proteins, different fats, to try and work out what they like best and what’s best for them.”

詹妮弗·切內爾斯牛津大學
“我們把很多不同的成分放進給蜜蜂做曲奇餅幹的面團裡，比如，不同的蛋白質、不同的脂肪，試圖找出它們最喜歡吃什麼，什麼對它們最好。”

Woah. Thank you.

哇。謝謝你。

And there’s a zip that goes round to keep them out.

這裡有一個拉鏈可以把它們擋在外面。

It’s out here where Professor Geraldine Wright tested the new food on bees, to see if it made them healthier.

就是在這裡，傑拉爾丁·賴特教授在蜜蜂身上測試瞭這種新食物，來看看它是否能讓蜜蜂更健康。

Hello girls. Hello.

姑娘們，大傢好。

The bees that ate the complete diet, with the sterol, were healthier and had up to 15 times more baby bees, like this one, that grew into adults.

結果發現，吃瞭含甾醇、營養全面的食物的蜜蜂更加健康，並且它們長大成為成蜂的數量是沒有吃這種食物的蜜蜂的 15 倍，就像這隻已經長成瞭成蜂的幼蜂。

The scientists say this should also protect our food security, as bees help pollinate over 70 per cent of global crops.

科學傢們表示，這也應該能保護我們的食品安全，因為蜜蜂幫助全球 70% 以上的農作物授粉。

Professor Geraldine Wright, Oxford University
“The work that we did here represents a major technological breakthrough for the beekeeping industry, and for food security and global pollination. Our breakthrough means that we can essentially keep the honeybees going in the absence of floral pollen. And this will mean that people will have hopefully less winter losses.”

傑拉爾丁·賴特教授牛津大學
“我們在這裡所做的工作代表瞭一項重大的技術突破，這會影響到養蜂業、食品安全和全球農業授粉。我們的這項突破意味著我們基本上可以讓蜜蜂在沒有花粉的情況下存活下去。這將意味著在冬季由於蜂群數量所導致的損失有望減少。”

Bigger trials are now needed, but Nick hopes that this new food will mean a better future for these animals that we all depend on.

現在研究人員需要進行更大規模的試驗，但尼克希望這種新食物的出現將意味著這些我們都依賴的動物會有一個更美好的未來。