Biollantefan54's Bug-Hunt Thread (PIC HEAVY)

[DaveM]

Amazing finds and stunning photography!
Also very sporting of you that you don't shy away from bugs that can hunt you back

 

[Biollantefan54]

WOW! How did you learn to take photos like this?

Well I’ve been taking pics for a long time so I’ve just been practicing a lot, my equipment just slowly got more and more complex and now I am able to photograph bugs I never thought I’d be able to, like mites or tiny beetles that are usually overlooked. Unfortunately all the old pics in this thread got erased but I started taking pics in 2013 ish with an old iPhone and then got my first camera in 2015. Now I have a macro rail and take 30-150 photos and combine them to get one photo. It’s a lot more work but I love seeing all the details on the smallest bugs!

 

[Biollantefan54]

Amazing finds and stunning photography!
Also very sporting of you that you don't shy away from bugs that can hunt you back

Thank you! I’m glad you like the photos

 

[Biollantefan54]

Here are some new pics from today, first is a snout mite, and then a super dirty oribatid mite. I usually clean them up in editing by cloning out tiny specs of dirt but I didn’t do any cleanup on this one, if I did, I don’t think anything would be left of the original lol! Lastly is a symphylan, these are a type of bug related to centipedes and millipedes

 

[jc55]

Very cool as always and thanks for sharing.

 

[Biollantefan54]

Very cool as always and thanks for sharing.

Thank you! glad y’all are enjoying the photos

 

[Biollantefan54]

Dryophthorus americanus
Beetle yet to be identified

little mite

 

[Biollantefan54]

Here are a few new pics. A female Entomobrya atrocincta, Chthonius tetrachelatus, a rove beetle, and a member of Scydmaeninae

 

[Tnovice]

This was from 6 days in Alabama, I am back home now so...not gonna have QUITE that variety here, I live more in a city compared to where those pics were taken.

Nice! I'm from Gadsden (about 15 minutes away).

 

[Biollantefan54]

Here is a member of Rhagidiidae. I still am trying to work out how to get the legs all extended! I am testing out a new piece of equipment which allows me to take stacks of photos vertically allowing me to submerge the subjects under water

 

[Biollantefan54]

Here’s another mite and a diplura I found. My next step is getting a microscope objective when I have a spare 800$ lying around

 

[jc55]

Very cool pics as always and thanks for sharing and as usual your photography skills are spot on and i always enjoy checking them out.

 

[Biollantefan54]

Very cool pics as always and thanks for sharing and as usual your photography skills are spot on and i always enjoy checking them out.

Thank you! I’m glad you like the photos! I always love seeing what all there is to find

 

[Biollantefan54]

Here is a snout mite

 

[Biollantefan54]

Not a bug but this is a stick I found in my yard at 5x magnification. It had tons of lichen on it (all the sticks did but I was picky and chose this tiny piece). Lots of cool lichens growing in it!

 

[Biollantefan54]

Here are two quick test with my new equipment. A winter grain mite and a Diplura. I thought it was neat that I can see the claws on the feet of both of these as well as the genital opening on the grain mite! I can’t wait to test my new objective out tomorrow

 

[me and my Ts]

How do you find all the these tiny bugs?

 

[Biollantefan54]

How do you find all the these tiny bugs?

I just go out in my yard and look under bricks or in the leaf litter. That winter grain mite is everywhere right now, I could probably catch the hundreds in a few minutes. They are all over the grass this time of year, I found 6-7 in one blade of grass the other night. They are quite easy to find if you look close enough

 

[jc55]

Amazing pictures as always.

 

[Biollantefan54]

Amazing pictures as always.

Thank you
Here are a few more photos, the first is a stereo 3d image of lichen at 10x. Try crossing your eyes and focusing on the image that appears in the center. It’s pretty cool if you can get it right. The next two are pollen from a dead nettle flower.