Comment

Six-legged Soldiers

Using Insects as Weapons of War
Dec 21, 2011johnsankey rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This book is part history, part future speculation. The history section is cautiously written, but most informative, with no obvious bias towards/against any one country. It covers throwing wasp nests, scorpions and diseased corpses over ancient Egyptian walls to the possibility that West Nile virus was introduced by Saddam Hussein. Anyone who thinks they can trust their government will be disabused by the descriptions of the various efforts during WW2. For the future, Lockwood paints a disturbing picture where small-time terrorists could cause incalculable damage to a modern society by the introduction of diseases carried by insects without anyone knowing. However, the possibilities he considers most likely for terrorists, yellow fever, cholera, typhus and Rift Valley fever, already have vaccines developed. It would require state-sponsored labs to come up with the real doomsday bugs. Not the kind of subject to promote a good night's sleep.