1. The Asian Honey Bee helped the Vietcong fight off the US invasion in the Vietnam War
The Asian Honey Bee is the stuff of nightmares. Measuring up to 2cm long, they are notoriously aggressive. As well as having a painful sting, they can also cause bowel gangrene and even death. During the Vietnam War, US soldiers found them a menace that only compounded the horrific conditions in the jungle. Bee attacks were so common rumors spread that the Vietcong were moving hives to routes taken by US infantry. Whether they did or not, the bees in their own way helped to fight the war, lowering US morale and making life even tougher for the beleaguered troops.
Where did we find this stuff? Here are our sources:
Chaline, Eric. Fifty Animals That Changed the Course of History. Richmond, ON: Firefly, 2011.
Hambler, Clive. Conservation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013.
Lee, Mackenzi. The History of the World in Fifty Dogs. New York: Abrams Image, 2019.
Lemish, Michael G. War Dogs: Canines in Combat. London: Brassey’s, 1996.
Roberts, Alice M. Tamed: Ten Species that Changed our World. London: Hutchinson, 2017.
