war on terror

December 29, 2005 7:41 AM

Scientists recruit wasps for war on terror No it is not some B movie from the 1950's. Scientists at a Georgia laboratory have developed what could be a low-tech, low-cost weapon in the war on terrorism: trained wasps.
posted by robbyrobs (20 comments total)

Brilliant plan! After all, what could go wrong?
posted by SteveInMaine at 7:48 AM on December 29, 2005

More information is available from NPR.
And from UGA: "The Wasp Hound"
posted by grabbingsand at 7:56 AM on December 29, 2005

I think this administration has already recruited enough WASPs to do its bidding.
posted by Ynoxas at 8:00 AM on December 29, 2005

Well it's about time that the most privileged and and influential group in America threw their weight behind the war effort.
posted by C.Batt at 8:01 AM on December 29, 2005

oooooh damn... beat out by Ynoxas by a hair. :-)
posted by C.Batt at 8:02 AM on December 29, 2005

Really, shouldn't they be using dogs with bees in their mouth?
posted by maxsparber at 8:07 AM on December 29, 2005

Brilliant plan! After all, what could go wrong?

In a scenario reminiscent of the future in the Terminator films (stolen from Harlan Ellison but paid for after court), I, for one, welcome our new Wasp Overlords (with much more glee than the robot war machines in the latest issue of Popular Science.)

Damn bastard scientists selling out to the Military Industrial Complex. Not to mention war criminals, the least of which might have been ex-Nazi von Braun. Time for me to go re-read Cat's Cradle and watch Dr Strangelove. They never get old.
posted by Shane at 8:08 AM on December 29, 2005

Brilliant plan! After all, what could go wrong?I was reminded of the
top secret bat bombers!
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 8:57 AM on December 29, 2005

Next up in the Global War on Terror / Global Struggle against Extremism: sharks with freakin' laser beams on their heads.
posted by clevershark at 9:10 AM on December 29, 2005

They're Freedom Flies, dammit.
posted by rolypolyman at 9:25 AM on December 29, 2005

STING! STING!
posted by stinkycheese at 9:27 AM on December 29, 2005

The terrorists' countermeasures will be crude but effective.
posted by Drexen at 9:27 AM on December 29, 2005

Trained wasps may be scary, but they're still no Snakes on a Plane!
posted by Afroblanco at 9:59 AM on December 29, 2005

I say lovey, do you smell ethylene glycol dinitrate?
posted by Smedleyman at 10:37 AM on December 29, 2005

‘Cause, y’know, they added ethylene glycol dinitrate to semtex because it’s otherwise nearly undetectable...
*cough*
Well, it’s funny if you’re a sapper or a demo engineer.
posted by Smedleyman at 10:44 AM on December 29, 2005

What are you gonna do? Release the dogs? Or the bees? Or the dogs with bees in their mouths so when they bark they shoot bees at you? Yeah.
posted by Dormant Gorilla at 10:44 AM on December 29, 2005

Brilliant plan! After all, what could go wrong?

Slaver Wasps!
posted by rough ashlar at 10:50 AM on December 29, 2005

Oh God, it's really happening...
posted by Venadium at 12:30 PM on December 29, 2005

DARPA has had an interest in this for a while. In fact, the Southwest Research Institute (in San Antonio, TX) had a giant tent where these things were trained; I know since I used to work in a building no more than 100 yards away.
posted by karson at 3:19 PM on December 30, 2005

...what could go wrong?


posted by cenoxo at 1:27 AM on December 31, 2005