Jumping Spider on yellow flower

These are two shots of a tiny jumping spider on a yellow flower I took.

Yellow Jacket photographs

These are some photographs of Yellow Jackets.  I found these Yellow Jacket Wasp under a log on a cold morning in spring.  These wasp, just like most other insects, slow down and cant fly during the colder days.  I was able to get these macro photographs of Yellow Jackets without any problems because the insects were cold and couldn't fly.

I shot these macro photographs of Yellow Jackets on my Canon 5D Mark II using a Canon MP-E 65mm 1x-5x macro lens and a Canon MT-24EX flahs unit.

Yellow Jackets are predatory insects that feed on necture, other insects and meat.  They live in colonies and will fiercly defend their nest.  Generally holes in the ground, bushes and other protected areas are used for nesting.  Yellow Jackets are mostly harmless to humans except for a painful sting.  Only people allergic have anything to fear.

These are some macro videos I took of Yellow Jacket Wasp.

If you would like to license the use of any of these photographs or videos email me at productester999@gmail.com

Sackens Bee Hunter Photograph

This is a Sackens Bee Hunter.  I came across this insect by accident one day.  I thought it was a Bumble Bee at first but I quickly realized it was a bee mimic.  I took a few photographs and began my search on the internet.  I have never seen one of these and I have lived in the same house for 25 years.
It turns out I took photographs of a Sackens Bee Hunter.  These bee mimic will capture and eat other bees.  They blend in and using the same color patterns are Bumble Bees.  They are stripped yellow and black but are not as wide bodied as a Bumble Bee.  They also stand differently in a different posture.
I have not been able to get much information on the internet as these seem to be elusive and not very common.  I found some articles that state they can bite of sting and that it is quite painful.  They are not aggressive and would only sting you if captured or maybe stepped on.  These insect are very good at mimicking bees.  If I wasn’t trained to notice details on insects because of my fascination with macro photography I would have dismissed this Sacken’s Bee Hunter as just another bee.