Great shots, SR! Especially like the cicadas.
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The thread of Creepy Crawlies
- Thread starter patrick
- Start date
Not a fan of these flying, biting, stinging, killing bitches from hell, but they are beautiful in a brutal way.
I found this one in the house (fixed the screen right away!) and took a few pictures after giving her some 'chill out' time in the refrigerator.
Not the best poses, but the bugger was warming up quickly and started crawling about, making a head-on shot difficult.
and
The best head shot. The camera focused on the nice contrasty wings...
I found this one in the house (fixed the screen right away!) and took a few pictures after giving her some 'chill out' time in the refrigerator.
Not the best poses, but the bugger was warming up quickly and started crawling about, making a head-on shot difficult.
and
The best head shot. The camera focused on the nice contrasty wings...
Nice shots, Geonerd. I like the way you handled her with a little refrigerator time. Perfect. I'll file that idea away for use at a future time. 
Yea, chilling the buggers works well. Catch 'em in a plastic drink cup with lid and toss them in the refrigerator! Also, the dinner plate she was crawling on was straight out of the freezer.
Still, it didn't take more than a few minutes until she was buzzing her wings, working some heat into the flight muscles. I fled before she reached 'powered flight' status!
I may try to do the same to one of those monstrous Tarantula Hawks later this summer. I have a strong fear/fascination for the damn things that might be alleviated (if only slightly!) by some close photography and 'quality time' together.
Still, it didn't take more than a few minutes until she was buzzing her wings, working some heat into the flight muscles. I fled before she reached 'powered flight' status!
I may try to do the same to one of those monstrous Tarantula Hawks later this summer. I have a strong fear/fascination for the damn things that might be alleviated (if only slightly!) by some close photography and 'quality time' together.
What did I just read?
Had to look up the tarantula hawk. I can see why you're fascinated with the things. This statement really got to me:Geonerd said:
I may try to do the same to one of those monstrous Tarantula Hawks later this summer. I have a strong fear/fascination for the damn things that might be alleviated (if only slightly!) by some close photography and 'quality time' together.
"...the tarantula wasp has the most painful sting in North America, second in the world only to Central and South Americas bullet ant, which earns top ranking on the Schmidt Sting Pain Index. The wasp's sting has been described as something close to sitting in a tub of water and throwing in a toaster ovenblinding and debilitating, leaving the victim a screaming, balled-up hot mess."
Still, it's a creature that I'd have to follow around and try take pics of! I'm both intrigued by them, and horrified by them killing tarantulas. I happen to really like tarantulas. Yuk. What a gruesome way to go...
ShortcutToHell said:
Yea, they're the critter in post 261, just ^^^ the page. Lord knows how the bleep I'll catch one of the buggers. They are active and 'twitchy' and don't hold still for long. Perhaps a butterfly net and a cooler full of ice to keep the air in the 40s or so.
A few years back I was driving during twilight with the windows open when I heard a hard 'thwack' as something hit the trailing edge of the passenger window frame. I'd caught a brief flash of red and just KNEW what had happened. Wasp strike! "Ohshit!" Most bugs would be injured or even splattered by such an impact, but Pepsis have a VERY durable exoskeleton - something that comes in handy when a tarantula is attempting to perforate your thorax! (I once hit one at 70MPH. The monster got stuck beneath the windshield wiper, apparently little more than bruised and irritated. It soon got lose and blew away, no doubt going it's merry way.) I didn't worry about whether the bug survived (of course it did!), and the most likely path of the thunderstorm I was chasing became immediately, utterly, irrelevant! The question of the moment - the only question to ask - was, "Did it bounce IN the car or Out of the car?!" I pulled over as fast as I dared and leaped from the vehicle. After a few minutes spent gathering my courage, I went on... The Bug Hunt. (A rattlesnake in the car would have been much less worrisome - they are bigger and can't freaking FLY.) The car was was dark, the flashlight wimpy and feeble. A quick scan showed nothing, but that was hardly reassuring given that the wasp might be injured and crawling around under the seat, just waiting... After some 20 minutes of anxious searching, I decided (rationalized in a big way) that "well, it must have bounced out. If it's still in the car, it's gonna get me and I'll die."
I never found a corpse so I guess luck was on my side that night.Yea.... (Shivers!)
Had me laughing at this one^^^! It's amazing how quickly a person can get worked up over something that "may" be present. I've been trapped with a normal wasp in the car, and that was enough of an adrenalin rush. Can't imagine thinking you could be sharing a ride with a ticked off tarantula hawk!
The twitchy part of the t-hawk's behavior reminds me of chasing a beautiful "cow killer" wasp around a bayou, on a withering hot day in Louisiana. I was trying desperately to get a good photo, and she didn't make it easy. Hands down, she was THE fastest thing that I've ever tried to keep up with and to take a picture of. She never paused, and never slowed down. I tore around after her, snapping madly, and came away with only one very bad photo of a small, red blur. Laugh. It was fun though. My first and only "red velvet ant" encounter.
Not my photo. Mine is worse.
The twitchy part of the t-hawk's behavior reminds me of chasing a beautiful "cow killer" wasp around a bayou, on a withering hot day in Louisiana. I was trying desperately to get a good photo, and she didn't make it easy. Hands down, she was THE fastest thing that I've ever tried to keep up with and to take a picture of. She never paused, and never slowed down. I tore around after her, snapping madly, and came away with only one very bad photo of a small, red blur. Laugh. It was fun though. My first and only "red velvet ant" encounter.
Not my photo. Mine is worse.
European Wasp.
Antennae maintenance.
Plague Soldier Beetle.
SR.
Antennae maintenance.
Plague Soldier Beetle.
SR.
Super nice shots, SR. Wow. Especially the Plague Soldier Beetle against the yellow chilis. Love the colors!
I think a pepper background really tops the pics off. European Wasp on my Rocoto, and Plague Soldier Beetle on my Tobasco. We get heaps of the European wasps, this is the first time I've been able to get a photo of one.
SR.
SR.
Nice shots, m8
ShortcutToHell said:Had me laughing at this one^^^! It's amazing how quickly a person can get worked up over something that "may" be present. I've been trapped with a normal wasp in the car, and that was enough of an adrenalin rush. Can't imagine thinking you could be sharing a ride with a ticked off tarantula hawk!
The twitchy part of the t-hawk's behavior reminds me of chasing a beautiful "cow killer" wasp around a bayou, on a withering hot day in Louisiana. I was trying desperately to get a good photo, and she didn't make it easy. Hands down, she was THE fastest thing that I've ever tried to keep up with and to take a picture of. She never paused, and never slowed down. I tore around after her, snapping madly, and came away with only one very bad photo of a small, red blur. Laugh. It was fun though. My first and only "red velvet ant" encounter.
Not my photo. Mine is worse.
Those things have got to be the most hyperactive bugs know to man. I know the Red Blur you speak of!
They are modestly common around here and I'll make make an effort to catch, chill, and photograph one this year. If you had any doubts regarding their ability to lay down some smack....
And just in case any of you guys ever run out of nightmare material....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_K7Tp97PsE
I appreciate creepy crawlies, but ... I'm not a huge fan of being super close (unless they're snakes - then count me in!) 
Still, they're fun to photograph. I got a new lens that I'm anxious to try out on the bugs this summer, but these are photos from years past...
Last year's nightmare...There was a nest of these in a dead tree behind our house.
Do snakes count?
This lovely got tangled in our deer netting last year... Dad and I spent an hour cutting him out and I swear he knew we were helping the second we made the first snip that relieved some pressure on him. Stopped wriggling and just let me hold him while Dad snipped and clipped. Hung out in my hands until we got to the woods, and then calmly slithered away...
Still, they're fun to photograph. I got a new lens that I'm anxious to try out on the bugs this summer, but these are photos from years past...
Last year's nightmare...There was a nest of these in a dead tree behind our house.
Do snakes count?
This lovely got tangled in our deer netting last year... Dad and I spent an hour cutting him out and I swear he knew we were helping the second we made the first snip that relieved some pressure on him. Stopped wriggling and just let me hold him while Dad snipped and clipped. Hung out in my hands until we got to the woods, and then calmly slithered away...
Great shots, Roo 
Really like the wolf spider shot.
What's your new lens?
What sort of snake is that? All I know about snakes is that pretty much every type around where I live can kill you, so I keep well and truly away
From that list we have Eastern Brown, Eastern States Tiger, Australian Copperhead, King Brown and Red Bellied Black Snake around here
As well as the snakes, we also have to be careful of the drop-bears. See here: http://australianmuseum.net.au/drop-bear
I'm surprised more tourists to Australia aren't made aware of them!
Really like the wolf spider shot.
What's your new lens?
What sort of snake is that? All I know about snakes is that pretty much every type around where I live can kill you, so I keep well and truly away
From that list we have Eastern Brown, Eastern States Tiger, Australian Copperhead, King Brown and Red Bellied Black Snake around here
As well as the snakes, we also have to be careful of the drop-bears. See here: http://australianmuseum.net.au/drop-bear
I'm surprised more tourists to Australia aren't made aware of them!
That's a black rat snake. We have them kind of all over around here! One got stuck in a vent a couple years ago... Took forever to free him and we ended up having to bend all the slats because they were digging into him. He wasn't quite as happy with us as the one above
We also have common venomous snakes, like the copperhead, cottonmouth, and rattlesnake. Those guys I keep my distance from. But the nonvenomous ones, like the black rat snake, the kingsnake, and the little ringneck, I can't help but admire! I found this guy in the garden last year.... Someone else gif'd my video so I'm using their gif as I can't figure out how to embed a video...That's my hand, and I don't have huge hands These guys are apparently "slightly" venomous, but they're so tiny and have rear-facing fangs (and aren't terribly aggressive) so they pose almost no threat to humans.
We also have common venomous snakes, like the copperhead, cottonmouth, and rattlesnake. Those guys I keep my distance from. But the nonvenomous ones, like the black rat snake, the kingsnake, and the little ringneck, I can't help but admire! I found this guy in the garden last year.... Someone else gif'd my video so I'm using their gif as I can't figure out how to embed a video...That's my hand, and I don't have huge hands
These guys are apparently "slightly" venomous, but they're so tiny and have rear-facing fangs (and aren't terribly aggressive) so they pose almost no threat to humans.
I knew that we had quite a few of the top venomous snakes in the world, but that list is ridiculous. And it still doesn't keep the tourists away!!!nuclearDays said:
SR.
nuclearDays said:Great shots, Roo
Really like the wolf spider shot.
What's your new lens?
What sort of snake is that? All I know about snakes is that pretty much every type around where I live can kill you, so I keep well and truly away
From that list we have Eastern Brown, Eastern States Tiger, Australian Copperhead, King Brown and Red Bellied Black Snake around here
As well as the snakes, we also have to be careful of the drop-bears. See here: http://australianmuseum.net.au/drop-bear
I'm surprised more tourists to Australia aren't made aware of them!
#13 - Check!
"Government to introduce 22 000 Black Mambas to help eradicate cane toads."
http://www.burdekinherald.com/2014/01/23/government-to-introduce-22-000-black-mambas-to-help-eradicate-cane-toads/
#18 - Check!
Jessica Elder - Gold Coast Bulletin
"King Cobra escapes house, on loose in suburbs!"
This leaves you only one Indian Cobra and a few rattlesnakes shy of a Grand Slam!
If you can supply the Naja, I'll be happy to round up some rattlers - we have plenty here in Aridzona.
The Mojave and Tiger actually rank #2 and #7 on the venom potency list found at http://snakedatabase.org/pages/LD50.php I'd think that would make them 'Australia Worthy!'
PM me your shipping address, Mate!
p.s. I see your Drop Bear and raise you a Chupacabra!
Roo said:
I found this guy in the garden last year.... Someone else gif'd my video so I'm using their gif as I can't figure out how to embed a video...That's my hand, and I don't have huge hands
Wow, that's actually cute.
Geonerd said:
Haha, TBH I wouldn't actually be surprised if our dumb-ass government were to do something like that!
Geonerd said:
I'll be happy to round up some rattlers - we have plenty here in Aridzona.
The Mojave and Tiger actually rank #2 and #7 on the venom potency list found at http://snakedatabase.org/pages/LD50.php I'd think that would make them 'Australia Worthy!'
PM me your shipping address, Mate!
Sure mate, no problem. My address is:
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest,
Washington, DC 20500,
United States
... honest!!!
Geonerd said:p.s. I see your Drop Bear and raise you a Chupacabra!
Pfft Chupacabra !!!
Drop Bear laughs in the face of Chupacabra!
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Anyway, some more Creey Crawlies shots.
Unknown fly:
Common House fly blowing bubbles. Apparently it helps with their digestion:
A freakin' March Fly biting me through my jeans. It stung like a biatch!!!
'Sexy time' for a pair of Picture Wing flies:
