Macro - Discussion & Photos

stevo

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It was great weather for garden photos on the weekend. The Native Bees were out....

nativebeedaisy1.jpg


prayingmantis2.jpg
 

Steve

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Yes great shots Stevo. I actually like the bee in mid flight. Simply awesome.
Yeah ok, the mantis is pretty good too....
 

Mark

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Oh wow :shock: That's very special... well done mate what a rippa shot! :cheers:

So did you go out hunting for roosting bees? That's very committed. How did you light this up?
 

stevo

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I was closing the gate on the chicken coop and noticed the bees hovering around and knew they were looking for a place to roost so I sat and watched them for 5 minutes to see which twig they were going to roost on, then grabbed the camera.

I sat a torch near them lighting them up faintly so I could get focus on the camera. I just used the pop-up flash on the camera and a white paper plate as a reflector held in my left hand to spread the light a bit more. You can see the eye has a bit of a exposure blow out. My separate flash and triggers have flat batteries at the moment so I couldn't use them, but hopefully I can have another go at getting better lighting soon. The bees return to the same spot each night.
 

Mark

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I sat a torch near them lighting them up faintly so I could get focus on the camera. I just used the pop-up flash on the camera and a white paper plate as a reflector held in my left hand to spread the light a bit more.
Pro... :)

The bees return to the same spot each night.
Oh do they... cool
 

stevo

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This is a Mimic-Wasp Fly (Ceriana Ornate). I'm not sure what they do exactly but I think they can lay eggs in a Native Bee hive and destroy the hive, so if you see one you should get rid of it. You may find them hanging around the hive.

nbh_mimicflywasp.jpg
 

Mark

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I'm not sure what they do exactly but I think they can lay eggs in a Native Bee hive and destroy the hive, so if you see one you should get rid of it.
Yes apparently so and a good reason to ensure there's no gaps in the hive box where the wasp/fly can lay her eggs for the larva to get in (I'm no expert, that's just what I heard from my bee keeping uncle).
 

Mudmaker

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I love the photos Stevo, insects are so fascinating although can’t say I feel that way about the mozzie.:eek:
 

stevo

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yeah Mudmaker, it's amazing to see what things you have in the garden, I've started to realize that a lot of the weird bugs and insects I have are actually bees and not just flies!

Here's a Leafcutter Bee, it cuts a leaf section out in around 4 seconds and flies away with it to make a nest with...

nbh_leafcutterrose.jpg


They like Rose leaves, so if you see this pattern in your leaves then that's ok, it's just a bee...

nbh_leafcutterrosewide.jpg
 

OskarDoLittle

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Wow, that's an amazing pic, and the most amazing phenomenon. Is that the norm for them or something weird you just happened to capture?
I have one blue-banded that spends hours in the Thai Basil. I'm assuming it's the same little guy each day because they seem to be so habitual. (I'm basing that on a few comments you've made...I know nothing about bees)
So if they're social rather then solitary, I should have other blue banded bees around yeah? Is there anything in particular that seems to attract them?
 
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