That stings!
January 4, 2014 12:31 PM Subscribe
Macro photos of insects stinging. What it says on the label - don't click if seeing insects biting and stinging squicks you out. Remarkable photos though.
“Plus, the meat ant is one of the prettiest insects that’s bitten me.”One of those phrases that makes me happy to have a desk job.
posted by hattifattener at 1:03 PM on January 4, 2014 [6 favorites]
Looking at human skin at that resolution squicks me more than the bugs. Ewwww, we're gross.
posted by neuromodulator at 1:10 PM on January 4, 2014
posted by neuromodulator at 1:10 PM on January 4, 2014
Looking at human skin at that resolution squicks me more than the bugs.
And the skin is transluscent enough to see the stinger/mouthparts/mandibles under the surface too.... awesome photos.
posted by variella at 1:20 PM on January 4, 2014
And the skin is transluscent enough to see the stinger/mouthparts/mandibles under the surface too.... awesome photos.
posted by variella at 1:20 PM on January 4, 2014
No discussion of insect bites and stings would be complete without a link to the Schmidt Sting Pain Index. Also, these photos are awesome and the blogger is great.
I'm now reading an article of his that he linked from the post in the FPP: To kill, or not to kill: the insect photographer's question.
posted by Scientist at 1:34 PM on January 4, 2014 [6 favorites]
I'm now reading an article of his that he linked from the post in the FPP: To kill, or not to kill: the insect photographer's question.
posted by Scientist at 1:34 PM on January 4, 2014 [6 favorites]
"I once had swarms of these ants biting my eyelids, my most unpleasant experience as an insect photographer."
And reading this page makes me think his first thought was probably about how he could get good photos of his eyelids. Great stuff!
posted by glhaynes at 2:28 PM on January 4, 2014
And reading this page makes me think his first thought was probably about how he could get good photos of his eyelids. Great stuff!
posted by glhaynes at 2:28 PM on January 4, 2014
What...is "squick" really a work?
edit: Confirmed. Looked at the pictures, got squicked out.
posted by beau jackson at 2:32 PM on January 4, 2014
edit: Confirmed. Looked at the pictures, got squicked out.
posted by beau jackson at 2:32 PM on January 4, 2014
Good shots. The ethical question post and the follow up were very interesting too. Thanks for posting.
posted by YAMWAK at 3:07 PM on January 4, 2014
posted by YAMWAK at 3:07 PM on January 4, 2014
NOPE!
posted by cjorgensen at 3:22 PM on January 4, 2014
posted by cjorgensen at 3:22 PM on January 4, 2014
The title made me think of this MIB scene.
posted by Evilspork at 3:23 PM on January 4, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Evilspork at 3:23 PM on January 4, 2014 [1 favorite]
I feel almost as bad for the bee as I do for me when a honeybee strikes.
posted by maggieb at 3:41 PM on January 4, 2014
posted by maggieb at 3:41 PM on January 4, 2014
About the Author: Alex Wild is one bad motherfucker.
posted by goethean at 4:47 PM on January 4, 2014
posted by goethean at 4:47 PM on January 4, 2014
hattifattener: "One of those phrases that makes me happy to have a desk job."
When my uncle did his PhD, back in the dark ages, his adviser was a mosquito researcher who has long since stopped having the allergic reaction to mosquito bites that makes them itchy. He kept a sort of plexiglass cage of just regular (non-research) mosquitos on his desk in his office with an openable portal. Whenever undergrads came in to complain about their grades, he would nonchalantly roll up his sleeve and stick his arm in the mosquito box to let the mosquitos "feed" on his arm while the students tried to talk.
It worked as intended, they were usually so unnerved that they decamped promptly.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 6:15 PM on January 4, 2014 [9 favorites]
When my uncle did his PhD, back in the dark ages, his adviser was a mosquito researcher who has long since stopped having the allergic reaction to mosquito bites that makes them itchy. He kept a sort of plexiglass cage of just regular (non-research) mosquitos on his desk in his office with an openable portal. Whenever undergrads came in to complain about their grades, he would nonchalantly roll up his sleeve and stick his arm in the mosquito box to let the mosquitos "feed" on his arm while the students tried to talk.
It worked as intended, they were usually so unnerved that they decamped promptly.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 6:15 PM on January 4, 2014 [9 favorites]
Scientist - that pain index is amazing! The writer/researcher clearly has an unusual take on pain.
posted by leslies at 9:10 PM on January 4, 2014
posted by leslies at 9:10 PM on January 4, 2014
Um, I contest every bite and sting that he declared unintentional.
He had a choice, go for the camera or kill the horrible crawling thing that was going to hurt him. He chose the latter. They were all intentional.
posted by MeanwhileBackAtTheRanch at 9:12 PM on January 4, 2014
He had a choice, go for the camera or kill the horrible crawling thing that was going to hurt him. He chose the latter. They were all intentional.
posted by MeanwhileBackAtTheRanch at 9:12 PM on January 4, 2014
Part of my brain is thinking that those are pretty amazing photographs, way better than the blurry ones I try to take of my dog when she's running, and some other, more sensible part is thinking "where is the nearest shoe?".
posted by Solomon at 1:44 AM on January 5, 2014
posted by Solomon at 1:44 AM on January 5, 2014
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