Hotels in France turn to tech as bedbug outbreaks rise 法國酒店求助於科技應對臭蟲危機

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These bedbugs are walking into a trap. This box contains a pheromone that attracts them. Devices like these are typically put inside beds or seats and connected to the internet to send live images of captured bugs.

這些臭蟲渾然不知自己正在爬進一個陷阱。這個盒狀裝置裡有一種能吸引臭蟲的信息素。這類裝置通常被放在床墊或椅墊下，並可以連接上互聯網，以發送捕捉到的蟲子的實時圖像。

AI software, trained with help by the human eye, can then confirm if the creatures are actually bedbugs. A positive identification triggers a mobile phone alert to be sent out.

人工智能軟件在人眼的訓練和引導下可以確認捕捉到的生物是否是臭蟲。一旦確認是臭蟲，手機警報功能就會被觸發。

And pest control measures can then be taken before the bugs multiply.

收到警報後便可以在臭蟲大量繁殖前采取害蟲防治措施。

The HQ of the company behind this tech is in Cambridge in the south of England.

研發這項技術的公司總部位於英格蘭南部的劍橋。

Robert Fryers, CEO of Spotta
“And they act as an early warning system. It’s effectively like a Covid test. So, you’re doing the measuring to tell you where to go in and then treat. Because of that you can catch them much earlier, before they spread. We’ve monitored around a million hotel nights now, and there has been a consistent rise this year. So, before Covid, there’d been a long-term trend upwards over the last decade. It dropped back a bit when everyone stopped travelling. But this year it really has come back with a vengeance.”

羅伯特·弗萊爾斯 Spotta 公司首席執行官
“這些裝置就是一種預警系統。就像新冠肺炎病毒檢測一樣可以起到防控作用。通過監測，這個系統可以告訴你臭蟲所在的準確位置，以助除蟲。正因有瞭這個預警系統，你才能更早地捉住臭蟲，以防止它們大量繁殖。我們監測的時長累積已有100萬個房晚，今年發現的臭蟲數量持續上升。在新冠肺炎疫情前的十年間，臭蟲數量呈長期上升的趨勢。在人們停止出遊的那段時間裡，臭蟲數量有所下降。但今年，臭蟲數量開始激增。”

But this system isn’t the only one. Other companies have integrated traps into the feet of beds. And some even use trained sniffer dogs to find bedbugs.

但這個系統並不是唯一一個用於防臭蟲的手段。其它公司使用在床腳上安裝的防蟲陷阱裝置。還有一些公司甚至用經過訓練的嗅探犬來尋找臭蟲。

Many French hotels are now investing in this kind of technology.

許多法國酒店現在都在購買防蟲技術。

Max Malka, Co-owner of Montlhery Paris Sud Hotel
“I’m an owner of a hotel about 15km south of Paris. In Paris, hotels are hit by bedbugs at least once a year. About two weeks ago, we had a detection of the bedbug, and I want to tell you, it’s frightening. The reason we invested into this technology is first a service to the customer, second the reputation of the hotel, and third, this will eliminate the risk of someone suing us because he or she [was] bitten.”

馬克斯·馬爾卡法國蒙特裡酒店共同所有人
“我是巴黎以南約15公裡處一傢酒店的老板。在巴黎，酒店每年至少會遭受一次臭蟲入侵。大約兩周前，我們的酒店內發現瞭臭蟲，說實話，這很可怕。我們購買這種監測裝置的原因首先是服務顧客，其次是維護酒店的聲譽，再其次是消除顧客因被臭蟲咬而起訴我們的風險。”

The rising prominence of bedbugs in the news and on social media has generated a new interest in this niche industry.

人們在資訊和社交媒體平臺上對臭蟲的熱議引發瞭大傢對害蟲防治這個小眾行業的興趣。