蝗虫已经入侵拉斯维加斯

蝗虫已经入侵拉斯维加斯

There must be a grasshopper convention in Las Vegas no one told us about.

在拉斯维加斯肯定有一场没人告诉我们的蚱蜢大会。

Because these days, Sin City is positively hopping with pallid-winged grasshoppers.

因为如今，罪恶之城到处都是长着翅膀的蚱蜢。

"It's a very common desert species," Jeff Knight, state entomologist with the Nevada Department of Agriculture, explained at a press conference last week. "It appears, through history, that when you have a wet winter or spring, these things build up…"

“这是一种非常常见的沙漠物种，”内华达州农业部的昆虫学家杰夫·奈特在上周的新闻发布会上解释说。“从历史上看，当冬天或春天潮湿时，这些东西就会堆积起来……”

And what does a grasshopper "build up" look like on the ground?

蚱蜢在地上“堆积”起来是什么样子?

Well, a little like civic hysteria.

有点像公民歇斯底里症。

Even grasshoppers can't resist the alluring lights of Las Vegas. Massive swarms of them have descended on the Las Vegas Strip this week, passing through town on their northbound migration. (Photo: BRIDGET BENNETT/AFP/Getty Images)

Indeed, Palmore captured a scene seemingly stolen from a Hollywood blockbuster on video, with countless grasshoppers swirling over the Strip's iconic Luxor Hotel.

的确，帕尔默捕捉到一个场景，似乎是从好莱坞大片的视频中偷来的，无数蚱蜢在拉斯维加斯大道标志性的卢克索酒店上空盘旋。

"Oh no … something is not right in this world," Palmore said in the video, which has been viewed nearly 40,000 times since she posted it on Facebook Friday.

帕尔默在视频中说:“哦，不……这个世界有些不对劲。”

Fear not, Las Vegans. This is probably the most benign plague any city could ask for.

别害怕，拉斯维加斯人。这可能是任何城市所能要求的最温和的瘟疫。

"They don't carry any diseases, they don't bite, they're not even one of the species that we consider a problem," Knight explained at the press conference.

奈特在新闻发布会上解释说:“它们不携带任何疾病，它们不咬人，它们甚至不是我们认为有问题的物种之一。”

But what if, heaven forbid, a couple of these hop-happy critters should find their way into your car?

但是，如果，老天不允许这些喜欢跳的小动物进入你的车里呢?

"They're not gonna bite you," Knight reassures "They're not gonna sting you. Pull over, open the windows, let it out."

“他们不会咬你，”奈特安慰说，“他们不会刺你。靠边停车，打开窗户，让它出来。”

The city's downtown strip is a light-lover's paradise. (Photo: Kobby Dagan/Shutterstock.com)

But at about an inch-and-a-half long — and with their namesake penchant for "hopping" — they're pinging off more than just residents.

但是，它们大约有一英寸半长，而且和它们的名字一样有“跳跃”的癖好，所以它们不仅仅吸引了当地居民。

They may have built up huge numbers thanks to a very wet spring — the state averaged nearly double its usual rainfall between January and June according NOAA — but why pick Las Vegas as their holiday destination?

它们的数量之所以如此巨大，可能要感谢一个非常潮湿的春天——根据NOAA的数据，今年1月至6月，该州的平均降雨量几乎是往年的两倍——但为什么选择拉斯维加斯作为它们的度假目的地呢?

Need we even ask? Bright lights, bug city.

我们还需要问吗?明亮的灯光，虫城。

Like most bugs — and many people — they're drawn to the bright lights, particularly ultraviolet lights. If it's all too much for Vegas residents, Knight suggests installing amber or low-UV lights, which are a lot less appealing to grasshoppers.

像大多数虫子一样——和很多人一样——它们喜欢明亮的灯光，尤其是紫外线。如果这对拉斯维加斯的居民来说太多了，奈特建议安装琥珀色或低紫外线灯，这对蚱蜢的吸引力要小得多。

Or, of course, Las Vegas could just wait for the plague to pass. Knight suggests the horde will hop along in a few more weeks.

当然，拉斯维加斯也可以坐等瘟疫过去。奈特暗示虫子部落将在几周内继续前进。

Or when until hungry birds sense an opportunity and call for a convention of their own — featuring the kind of all-you-can eat buffet only Vegas can offer.

或者等到饥饿的虫儿们意识到机会，并要求召开自己的会议——以只有拉斯维加斯才能提供的那种自助餐为特色。