南方的朋友或许会发现，今年夏天的蚊子少了很多。越挠越痒的蚊子包，惹人心烦的嗡嗡声出现的频率都不及往年。早早准备好的蚊香和花露水似乎少了很多用武之地。有人不免发出疑惑：难道......连蚊子都要被热死了？

没错，但不是蚊子本蚊被热死，而是蚊子的孩子被热死了！

Have you noticed fewer itchy, red bumps on your skin this summer? It's probably due to the hot, dry weather this summer.

蚊子是怎么被“热死”的

蚊子的繁殖也得靠天时地利，而高温导致池沼、水沟等静水大量干涸，蚊子失去了产卵圣地，被纷纷“扼杀在摇篮里”。

The right amount of rain at the right time is needed for mosquitoes to breed because it lays eggs on the surface of stagnant water.

即使成功“苟活”下来，在高温环境下长大的蚊子，虽然发育速度更快，但成虫体型更小，繁殖能力也更低，难以“传宗接代”。

Individuals reared at higher temperatures may develop more rapidly compared to lower temperatures, but adults tend to be smaller with reduced fitness given that size is often positively related to fecundity.

此外，高温还会降低成年蚊子的活跃程度。就像人们知道躲进空调房，蚊子也知道飞去阴凉处，不会在烈日炎炎的时候出来自讨苦吃。

As temperatures climb higher, mosquito activity can decline. Mosquitoes will bite less when it becomes excessively hot.

先别急着庆幸

要庆祝蚊子灭绝还为时过早。顽强的害虫不会坐以待毙，既然南方太热，那就去北方避暑！

许多蚊子原本生活在东南亚国家，经过海上贸易传到我国，主要在广东、广西和云南活动。近年来，高温席卷南方，蚊子也来到了北方“避暑”。

危害性更强的是，虽然高温不利于蚊子生存，却有利于蚊子携带的病毒传播。只要一息尚存，高温之后的凉爽期，很可能就成了蚊子传播疾病的最佳时机。

Higher temperatures also make any diseases they carry more active and hence more transmissible. So when mosquitoes are around, a cool spell following very hot temperatures could be ripe for mosquito borne diseases, as highly infectious mosquitoes increase their biting activity.

主要有三类蚊子会传播疾病：库蚊（Culex）、伊蚊（Aedes）和按蚊（Anopheles），传播的疾病包括疟疾（malaria）、丝虫病（filariasis）、和登革热（dengue）等。

高温对其他昆虫的影响

蚊子锐减可谓太快人心，但如果是对人类有益的昆虫受到影响，那就另当别论了。

最近连月高温，许多欧洲国家出现蜜蜂连续死亡，而且死去的大部分是雄蜂。雄蜂对温度十分敏感，高温的压力下，雄蜂的自然反应是射精，然后死去。

Beekeepers in European reported unusual deaths of honeybee queens, drones and small colonies. Drones, which are the reproductive males, spontaneously ejaculate when they die from stress.

就算雄蜂熬过了高温，生育能力也会受损。等到热浪过去，蜂后与雄蜂的交配机会减少，可能会导致整个蜂群的崩溃。依赖蜜蜂授粉的植物也会遭殃，其中有不少是人类赖以生存的农作物。

Worryingly, male fertility likely begins to decline well before the drones die. This means that after a heat wave, new queens — the reproductive females — will have fewer opportunities to mate. Colonies headed by poorly mated queens are more likely to collapse, and this could pose problems for farmers who rely on honeybees to pollinate their crops.

说到底，蚊子变少，也是大自然对我们敲响的警钟。如果放任气候变暖、环境恶化，终有一天会波及人类自身。