I'm not one to get into very many post-apocalyptic survival scenarios or government melt down scenarios, and I generally avoid nearly every "SHTF" thread I see.
But, something occurred to me earlier: Some of the most effective weapons in historic battles were not modern devices, modern tactics, or modern weapons. They were some of the lowest forms of "technology" possible.
One of them that stands out in my mind, is bees. Not only can you harvest honey, larva, or even mature adults for food; but you can also use the beeswax for many purposes. And, they can be turned into a weapon.
When Alexander the Great finally sacked the city of Tyre in 332 BC, there were two notable weapons that are said to have been the deciding factors that lead to his naval victory. ...without that naval victory, the city could not have been taken**. Those notable weapons were bees and vipers. The vipers and bees (and hornets) were launched by catapult, onto Tyrian ships. When the barrels, casks, and other containers burst open on deck, the incredibly irritated, venomous snakes would cause many soldiers and/or deck hands to abandon ship. Then, the bees (and hornets) would be launched. They took out many of the remaining crew members on the ships, by driving them into the water, or stinging them hundreds of times.
If it wasn't for Alexander's bees pushing so many Tyrian soldiers to their own drowning deaths, he never would have taken the city.
Against a superior ("technologically advanced") force in modern times, I can only imagine that similar tactics would be extremely unexpected, and possibly quite effective. Even the best soldier isn't going to stand around in a swarm of bees, especially those that are allergic (or think they are).
We may not be able to compete with night vision, satellites, IR optics, aircraft (and their FLIR/NV), communications tools, battle tracking tools, and all the other crap we might be up against. But... most of those tools are completely useless against a swarm of bees.
When it comes to surviving an encounter with disparity of force, remember: Think like a pirate.
Anyone else have any comments on the idea?
**(Tyre was actually on an island, at the time. In order to take the city, Alexander had to build a "Mole", or causeway, from the mainland to the island. It was left in place after the siege. Over time, ocean sediments filled in the remaining area around the island, and turned the island of Tyre into part of the mainland. Talk about an environmental impact from military actions. )
But, something occurred to me earlier: Some of the most effective weapons in historic battles were not modern devices, modern tactics, or modern weapons. They were some of the lowest forms of "technology" possible.
One of them that stands out in my mind, is bees. Not only can you harvest honey, larva, or even mature adults for food; but you can also use the beeswax for many purposes. And, they can be turned into a weapon.
When Alexander the Great finally sacked the city of Tyre in 332 BC, there were two notable weapons that are said to have been the deciding factors that lead to his naval victory. ...without that naval victory, the city could not have been taken**. Those notable weapons were bees and vipers. The vipers and bees (and hornets) were launched by catapult, onto Tyrian ships. When the barrels, casks, and other containers burst open on deck, the incredibly irritated, venomous snakes would cause many soldiers and/or deck hands to abandon ship. Then, the bees (and hornets) would be launched. They took out many of the remaining crew members on the ships, by driving them into the water, or stinging them hundreds of times.
If it wasn't for Alexander's bees pushing so many Tyrian soldiers to their own drowning deaths, he never would have taken the city.
Against a superior ("technologically advanced") force in modern times, I can only imagine that similar tactics would be extremely unexpected, and possibly quite effective. Even the best soldier isn't going to stand around in a swarm of bees, especially those that are allergic (or think they are).
We may not be able to compete with night vision, satellites, IR optics, aircraft (and their FLIR/NV), communications tools, battle tracking tools, and all the other crap we might be up against. But... most of those tools are completely useless against a swarm of bees.
When it comes to surviving an encounter with disparity of force, remember: Think like a pirate.
Anyone else have any comments on the idea?
**(Tyre was actually on an island, at the time. In order to take the city, Alexander had to build a "Mole", or causeway, from the mainland to the island. It was left in place after the siege. Over time, ocean sediments filled in the remaining area around the island, and turned the island of Tyre into part of the mainland. Talk about an environmental impact from military actions. )