982 replies to this topic

[CoolColJ]

Camponotus cf nigriceps queen laid 8 more eggs to compliment her single cocoon.

I haven't seen her in a while, and she is a pretty one, her gaster is so light it makes her look like a Camponotus eastwoodi

Nigriceps normally have a dark/black gaster.

 

click to enlarge - note the dent in her mouth area in the second pic. Pics of nigriceps I have seem do not have this dent so maybe she is something else.....

 

 

Edited by CoolColJ, January 27 2019 - 3:27 AM.

[CoolColJ]

Colobopsis macrocephala queen with her brood

 

click to enlarge

 

[kingz2015]

What camera do you all use? Are there attachments I can get for my phone that are fairly priced?

[CoolColJ]

What camera do you all use? Are there attachments I can get for my phone that are fairly priced?

Panasonic G85 with Pana Leica 45mm macro lens, external flash.
Then photos are tweaked in ACDSee

I have a Blitzwolf 15x macro lens that works quiet well with Pixel 2XL phone, but the focus distance is like 1-2 inches, so you have to get very close.
Works better with a phone with 2-3x optical zoom. which my phone does not have, so if i zoom in I loose sharpness
The magnification is there, if your phone has 2-3x optical zoom, but you need a lot of light to make it look good indoors
With a phone with 2-3x optical zoom, better to get a 10x macro lens for greater focus distance.

So some LED lights are needed as well. Some of those inexpensive video LED light arrays works well
With a phone you can't adjust the aperture of the lens, so your stuck with the shallow of depth of field.

If you invest in a tripod mount for the phone, and attach one of these LED lights on it, or on a stand, you can get decent results


My phone with the Blitzwolf clip on macro lens, and then tweaked in ACDSee
Pheidole antipodum queen is 15mm, and the smaller workers are 2mm.
Slight crop so slightly zoomed in, but unless you have optical zoom on your phone not worth zooming in.

[Mettcollsuss]

Some photos from my journals

 

Camponotus pennsylvanicus coming out of hibernation

 

Formica obscuriventris queen and host workers with some eggs

 

Formica subsericea holding brood from the ceiling

[CoolColJ]

Yikes, my Camponotus aeneopilosus's first and only cocoon eclosed and it's drone... its a drone!

Dang, she has 15 more larvae so they can't all be drones... hopefully!!!
Interestingly her drone has bent antenna

click to enlarge

 

 

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Camponotus suffusus bendigensis queen2 and her 12 nanitics vs Meat ant queen and her 2 nanitics, size difference.
2cm with bloated gaster and 9mm nanitics - vs - 14mm and 6-7mm

 

[CoolColJ]

Myrmecia fulvipes, gets her first worker!
Her gaster is even more gold than the queen!
Check those bands on the queen's gaster , she is bloated in her Myrmecia way



What a little munchkin

[CoolColJ]

Camponotus nigriceps 19mm queen and her first nanitic

click to enlarge

 

Edited by CoolColJ, February 8 2019 - 1:23 AM.

[Skwiggledork]

[CoolColJ]

Opisthopsis Rufithorax (strobe ant) 60+ workers

Counted at least 20 cocoons and 7 large larvae, not sure on eggs.
Looks like there is a good chance they will get to 100 workers before winter!

gave them a semi alive medium sized roach and they swarmed it and carried it inside the nest


click to enlarge

[CoolColJ]

Pheidole antipodum 15mm queens to nanitic minor worker and mini major size difference

click to enlarge


queen 2 gets her head smothered

[ConcordAntman]

These are my first shots with my 105mm macro. My Camponotus pennsylvanicus colonies waking from hibernation

[kingz2015]

Really nice picture

[ConcordAntman]

My C. pennsylvanicus colonies 1 week out of hibernation

[Macro_Ants]

Are some macro videos welcome in this thread too? Only used one of my macro lens for this instead of two so that I could keep a larger area in focus, but here’s my colony eating a cricket.

[Rstheant]

Any pictures of your colony?

[ConcordAntman]

My C. pennsylvanicus tending the brood

Edited by ConcordAntman, March 31 2019 - 4:06 PM.

[Mettcollsuss]

Camponotus pennsylvanicus egg

[Barristan]

Lasius niger workers taking care of some pupae:

 

[Rstheant]

How do you put those cool watermarks?