Images

The tricky Small Hive Beetle. One of the banes of bee keepers, Aethina tumida. Small things, about the size of half an eraser head. These beetles smell like bees and even sometimes get fed by bees. As you will see in another post showing the larva, it is not the adults that are the problem to the bee keeper it is ....the bad habits of the babies.

The tricky Small Hive Beetle. One of the banes of bee keepers, Aethina tumida. Small things, about the size of half an eraser head. These beetles smell like bees and even sometimes get fed by bees. As you will see in another post showing the larva, it is not the adults that are the problem to the bee keeper it is ....the bad habits of the babies.

In keeping with the last series of pictures here is the lavae of the Small Hive Beetle (Aethina tumida). Famous for pillaging honey stores and pollen caps of honey bees, creating a disgusting slimy mess of everything including the psyche of the bee keep. Larvae wrangled by USDA honey bee whisperer Francisco Posada.

Carrion Flower. Yep, fly pollinated...lovely vine design too. Smilax herbacea.

Carrion Flower. Yep, fly pollinated...lovely vine design too. Smilax herbacea.

Unknown land snail from Biscayne National Park, Florida approximately 6mm across

snake skin likely from a Black Rat Snake, Maryland, Soldier's Delight

A weed that irritates everyone, thorny, leaves are shot through with holes from being fed on by many of its personal insect hosts, but...this is a native plant, related to tomatoes and T'ai Roulston's work in Shenandoah Valley shows that for some bumblebees this is the main pollen source in the summer.

sora, face, dc

sora, feet, dc

Spodoptera eridania - Southern armyworm. A pest in southern parts of the U.S. mostly Florida. Defoliator of tomatoes and other crops. Not a candidate for the insect Miss Universe contest...or is is? I think close up there is a lot of beauty in this series of life history shots, but that is my personal opinion.

Spodoptera eridania - Southern armyworm. A pest in southern parts of the U.S. mostly Florida. Defoliator of tomatoes and other crops. Not a candidate for the insect Miss Universe contest...or is is? I think close up there is a lot of beauty in this series of life history shots, but that is my personal opinion.

Spodoptera eridania - Southern armyworm. A pest in southern parts of the U.S. mostly Florida. Defoliator of tomatoes and other crops. Not a candidate for the insect Miss Universe contest...or is is? I think close up there is a lot of beauty in this series of life history shots, but that is my personal opinion.

Spodoptera eridania - Southern armyworm. A pest in southern parts of the U.S. mostly Florida. Defoliator of tomatoes and other crops. Not a candidate for the insect Miss Universe contest...or is is? I think close up there is a lot of beauty in this series of life history shots, but that is my personal opinion.

Spodoptera eridania - Southern armyworm. A pest in southern parts of the U.S. mostly Florida. Defoliator of tomatoes and other crops. Not a candidate for the insect Miss Universe contest...or is is? I think close up there is a lot of beauty in this series of life history shots, but that is my personal opinion.

Spodoptera eridania - Southern armyworm. A pest in southern parts of the U.S. mostly Florida. Defoliator of tomatoes and other crops. Not a candidate for the insect Miss Universe contest...or is is? I think close up there is a lot of beauty in this series of life history shots, but that is my personal opinion.

Spodoptera eridania - Southern armyworm. A pest in southern parts of the U.S. mostly Florida. Defoliator of tomatoes and other crops. Not a candidate for the insect Miss Universe contest...or is is? I think close up there is a lot of beauty in this series of life history shots, but that is my personal opinion.

Spodoptera eridania - Southern armyworm. A pest in southern parts of the U.S. mostly Florida. Defoliator of tomatoes and other crops. Not a candidate for the insect Miss Universe contest...or is is? I think close up there is a lot of beauty in this series of life history shots, but that is my personal opinion.

Reviled crop pest intrinsically valueless or eternal marvel of unworldly craft and resonance. Photography Information: Canon Mark II 5D, Zerene Stacker, Stackshot Sled, 65mm Canon MP-E 1-5X macro lens, Twin Macro Flash in Styrofoam Cooler, F5.0, ISO 100, Shutter Speed 200.

Quercus falcata, picked up from the sidewalk outside my lab, a lovely fresh acorn, drill in to see all the lovely hairs that pubesce across the surface.

Or an old dried caterpillar, unknown species, supplied to me by Ash the insect hunter. Photo by Sara Guerrieri. Update: Ash has provided and identification of this old Caterpillar and it is a Giant Leopard Moth, Hypercompe Scribonia.