Six-legged Soldiers: Using Insects As Weapons Of War

SixLegged Soldiers This page intentionally left blank SixLegged Soldiers
Using Insects as Weapons of War Jeffrey A. Lockwood 1 2009 3 Oxford University Press, Inc., publishes works that further Oxford University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education. Oxford New York Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto With offices in Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam Copyright © 2009 by Oxford University Press, Inc. Published by Oxford University Press, Inc. 198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016 www.oup.com Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Lockwood, Jeffrey Alan, 1960– Six-legged soldiers : using insects as weapons of war / Jeffrey A. Lockwood. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-19-533305-3 1. Biological warfare. 2. Insects as carriers of disease. 3. Agroterrorism—Prevention. I. Title. UG447.8.L63 2009 358'.3882—dc22 2008006935 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper To John (Jack) E. Lloyd Genuine Friend, Patient Mentor, and Exemplary Scientist This page intentionally left blank Contents Preface ix Acknowledgments xv List of Illustrations xix Introduction 1 ONE Stinging Defeats and Venomous Victories 1 Bee Bombs and Wasp Warheads 9 2 Toxic Tactics and Terrors 26 3 Insects as Tools of Torture 36 TWO Vectors of Death 4 Horseshoes and Hand Grenades 47 5 The Victories of the Vectors 56 6 A Most Uncivil War 65 7 All’s Lousy on the Eastern Front 77 THREE Bringing Fever and Famine to a World at War 8 A Monstrous Metamorphosis 87 9 Entomological Evil 95 10 Japan’s Fleas and Flies 108 viii Contents 11 Japan’s Pleas and Lies 117 12 Beetle Bombs 128 13 Waking the Slumbering Giants 139 FOUR Cold-Blooded Fighters of the Cold War 14 Korea’s Hailstorms of Hexapods 159 15 A Swarm of Accusations 171 16 An Imaginary Menagerie? 182 17 The Big Itch 193 18 Yankee (and Vietnamese) Ingenuity 203 19 Cuban Missiles vs. American Arthropods 210 20 A Tiny Terrorist in Castro’s Crops 221 FIVE The Future of Entomological Warfare 21 Medflies, Fruits, and Nuts 233 22 Fear on the Farm 242 23 Wimpy Warmups and Real Deals 256 24 Six-Legged Guardian Angels 274 25 Insect Cyborgs and Roboflies 287 26 “Vigilant and Ready”? 298 Epilogue 311 Suggested Readings Notes 323 Index 361 315 preface Although the historic and prospective use of insects as weapons is not the sort of topic that tends to lull one into a sense of well-being, I would like to put the reader’s mind at ease with regard to a few important considerations. This book is, in large part, about history and science. And I am of the studied opinion that neither venture is particularly objective. As such, I cannot claim neutrality without abject hypocrisy. So in the spirit of honest