Insects and Spiders

Life and death in Devon this weekend. Syrphus ribesii female laying eggs next to Giant Willow Aphids (Tuberolachnus salignus). Once they hatch the hoverfly larvae will prey on the aphids.

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The aphids are bizarre. They can be over half a centimetre long, one of the largest in the UK, and have this rhinoceros-like protuberance in the middle of their back.

Is like some science fiction other world!

Amazing!

Nice, what did you use to take those?

Def full frame.

@ad441 thanks. I'm using a Nikon D7500 (@Ordinata, not full frame though I did consider the option they were just too expensive for me) with the latest Tamron 90mm macro. My first proper macro set up and really happy with the results so far. I'm still using it in dumb point and shoot auto-scene-macro mode. I should really read up on how to do macro properly, and invest in a macro light sometime next year too.

How did you manage not to scare the hoverfly off? When I have tried to use my macro lens I always seem to spook the subject.

@eskay I know what you mean. It's quite cool now and any insects I've been finding for the last few weeks have been much more sluggish and less flighty than in the summer. Three weekends ago when I saw what were probably my last dragonflies of the season I was able to reach out a pick a couple up they were so slow! For this reason, it's sometimes suggested that going out early in the morning in spring / summer makes it easier to get good photos. But generally a slow and steady approach seems to work best - and just take lots of photos as you approach the subject. The hoverfly in the photos above was understandably very preoccupied with laying her eggs so really didn't seem that bother by me at all.

I still think I got better photos with my Tamron 90 than I've managed with my much more expensive Sony FE 2.8. It's a shame Tamron don't do one in Sony E mount or I'd switch back.

Have never managed to get a hoverfly to stay still long enough to photograph. Insect photographing opportunities in South London seem pretty limited at this time of year, I really need to try and figure out my macro setup before Spring. Going to try making a pringle tube flash thing at some point.

Shit me I will have to eat my shorts.

My D5300 has the same sensor but my pics are shit.

Must be the photographer. :oP

ha, I just take as many photos as possible - some sort of proof of the infinite monkey theorem - and one or two work out ok!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infinite_monkey_theorem

Starting to go through 100s of photos from earlier this spring now that there is so little out there . This is one of the mayflies, probably Ephemera danica, the Green Drake Mayfly

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The first true millipede: new species with more than 1,000 legs (1,306 in fact) discovered living in a gold mine 60m below ground in Western Australia. Fabulous and creepy at the same time.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/16/the-first-true-millipede-new-species-with-more-than-1000-legs-discovered-in-western-australia

Even in mid-winter there are still insects out there - amazing. Here's a fly that was drinking and feeding on a bramble leaf from my walk today

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Superb as usual.

ta!

I thought it would be too chilly for wasps. Not sure where this fella came from but seems to be enjoying some watered sugar for energy.

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Wow, they seem to be surviving later and later in recent years. Maybe there's more sugar around that they can find. Or she's just particularly good at survival. Will you leave this out so she can return?

Lovely pictures. They're such beautiful insects.

This is really funny--I'm afraid I don't believe for one second that this termite colony has actually been 'exterminated':

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/dec/21/a-world-first-devon-calls-victory-in-27-year-war-on-termites

Most likely it has just expanded horizontally underground--it's thought that termite colonies in the Americas extend underground for thousands of miles, here for example:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329055574_A_vast_4000-year-old_spatial_pattern_of_termite_mounds

I think this is one of the most fascinating things on Earth.

Puny humans, exterminate, exterminate ...

Found this spider with an image of Christ on its abdomen in the garden earlier this afternoon!

Blasphemy, stone him!

That’s Squidward surely?

Midwinter insect update. I've recently bought a cheap digital usb / wi-fi microscope (£35). I'd not expected much from it but took some photos earlier today and have been impressed. These are a couple of photos of a Zygina leafhopper from a local wood. The leafhoppers are about 2mm long - a bit smaller than a grain of rice.

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