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[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Found me a Wasp

13 August 2011

Yesterday, whilst collecting the mail, I saw a wasp was on my doorstep.

Was it injured, sick?...No, it had gone to wasp heaven...and this is where it lay.

I picked it up and insect physiology is an interesting field to study and photograph.

Some of you may remember my very cool spider images of Arabella of 2007....

astronomer.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=ponderings&action=display&thread=461

Although my Canon Powershot S3 does good macro shots, I attached my old SLR 80-200mm zoom lens backwards on to the Powershot adapter - providing a very tight, but shallow depth of field shots...

An interesting face, Mr. Wasp has, but it looks like there are more auxiliary eyes than the two huge light gatherers that wrap from the front to the top of the head...

..and three smaller nodes of some sort.

Very cool Mr.Wasp.

The antennae...

And Thorax/Abdomen...

From Wiki...



en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasp

I buried him in the front yard, thanking Mr. wasp for his detailed look at his body.

[Paulie pchris00]

I do not like wasps. Not even dead ones, unless I made them dead.

Look at the buggers alien eyes. Creepy.

Interesting fact about wasps: they can survive several hours with their head encased in 130 degree insulating foam, long after it has cooled and hardened. At least three hours. Possibly longer, if the one who sprayed the foam has the patience to find out.

Interesting fact about insulating foam: makes for effective wasp control, but wasp must be fully immersed inside foam. Quite messy, though, and not recommended unless EVERY permanent surface within 50 ft. is covered in plastic.

[patrickm]

Aug 14, 2011 7:12:53 GMT -6 Paulie pchris00 said:

I do not like wasps. Not even dead ones, unless I made them dead.

Look at the buggers alien eyes. Creepy.

Julia almost knocked the iPad outta my hands last night when I tried to show her the pix! Jeez. I've been stung 3 or 4 times but don't feel that way. I think they look really cool and not at all like space aliens sent here to monitor our every move until the larger invasion.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

So Paulie...

What you tryin' to say?

That wasps make good insulation?

[Paulie pchris00]

Aug 14, 2011 17:09:04 GMT -6 Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe said:

So Paulie...

What you tryin' to say?

That wasps make good insulation?

Yes they do! Many a home I sprayed foam in has a wasp sealed in it's walls. Even better was to hit them with a little over spray on their wings, and watch them fall helplessly to the ground.

These days I try to let them live when I can, but why do you think I always wear a baseball hat? Because it can always be used in self defense for swatting wasps.

[Vinod Kumar]

woww!!!
Nice Capture