Tongue of the bumblebee

Images taken in a controlled environment or with a posed subject. All subject types.

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pawelfoto
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Tongue of the bumblebee

Post by pawelfoto »

I am fascinated by the structure of the mouth parts of the bumblebee, especially its hairy tongue.
2021-05-23-13.05.jpg
Attachments
Bombus lucorum? 5DMkIV + mp-e65mm x2 f/8 1/20s 32*200µ WeMacro, 8xLED
Bombus lucorum? 5DMkIV + mp-e65mm x2 f/8 1/20s 32*200µ WeMacro, 8xLED
Bombus lapidarius? 5DMkIV + mp-e65mm x2 f/8 1/40s 25*200µ WeMacro, 8xLED
Bombus lapidarius? 5DMkIV + mp-e65mm x2 f/8 1/40s 25*200µ WeMacro, 8xLED
M6M2, Mitu5x+DCR150, 1/25s, 582*5µ WeMacro, 8xLED
M6M2, Mitu5x+DCR150, 1/25s, 582*5µ WeMacro, 8xLED
M6M2, Nikon PlanApo10x+DCR150, 1/10s, 82*7µ WeMacro, 8xLED
M6M2, Nikon PlanApo10x+DCR150, 1/10s, 82*7µ WeMacro, 8xLED
M6M2, Nikon PlanApo10x+DCR150, 1/13s, 91*7µ WeMacro, 8xLED
M6M2, Nikon PlanApo10x+DCR150, 1/13s, 91*7µ WeMacro, 8xLED

rjlittlefield
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Re: Tongue of the bumblebee

Post by rjlittlefield »

These are very good! I did not know much about the hairy tip of the tongue.

I see that these are deeply stacked, but I do not notice any sign of drying or unnatural posture.

So, how did you prepare these specimens?

--Rik

Guppy
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Re: Tongue of the bumblebee

Post by Guppy »

I like these stacks very much.
Sharp, clear and without artifacts, an exceptionally good image quality.
My compliments!

Kurt

pawelfoto
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Re: Tongue of the bumblebee

Post by pawelfoto »

Here is the link to the above photos in higher resolution: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... sp=sharing
Insects are freshly caught in a DIY mosquito/butterfly net. I put them to sleep with ethyl acetate (not ethyl chloride). It takes at least 24 hours for the limbs and antennas to stop moving voluntarily because it will spoil the stack. The positioning kit is extremely simple. Clothes pegs are helpful. I put the flower in a drinking straw in water. They do not wilt and I avoid to crush the stalk. The insect is on the entomological pin and the BlueTack helps to set a good angle. It takes the longest time to adjust each leg naturally. I use a natural leaf, colored prints or an LCD screen as the background. For grooming / hairdressing, I use brushes of micro-applicators for eyelashes such as here, e.g. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3303360 ... .subject_6 or https://www.amazon.com/EBIVEN-Disposabl ... 351&sr=8-5
==best, Pawel
Attachments
set2.jpg
set1.jpg
Last edited by pawelfoto on Sat Jun 05, 2021 2:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.

MarkSturtevant
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Re: Tongue of the bumblebee

Post by MarkSturtevant »

Good craftsmanship!
Mark Sturtevant
Dept. of Still Waters

NikonUser
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Re: Tongue of the bumblebee

Post by NikonUser »

Superb photos. Not sure about the entomological implication.
The hairy tongue is for nectar
Bees collect pollen on their hairy bodies and legs, they then clean themselves with legs and transfer the pollen to pollen-baskets on the hind legs.
(sorry to be so pedantic, consequence of years of university entomology - professors were so 'sticky' about facts)
NU.
student of entomology
Quote – Holmes on ‘Entomology’
” I suppose you are an entomologist ? “
” Not quite so ambitious as that, sir. I should like to put my eyes on the individual entitled to that name.
No man can be truly called an entomologist,
sir; the subject is too vast for any single human intelligence to grasp.”
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr
The Poet at the Breakfast Table.

Nikon camera, lenses and objectives
Olympus microscope and objectives

rjlittlefield
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Re: Tongue of the bumblebee

Post by rjlittlefield »

Heh! It's not "pedantry" unless it's "excessive", and in this case I think the level of attention to detail is perfect.

Pawel, thanks very much for the discussion and illustration of techniques. This is very helpful.

NU, thanks very much for the added info about how the hairy tongue is used.

I have learned much in this thread -- most appreciated!

--Rik

lothman
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Re: Tongue of the bumblebee

Post by lothman »

pawelfoto wrote:
Sun May 30, 2021 3:34 am
I put them to sleep with ethyl chloride. It takes at least 24 hours for the limbs and antennas to stop moving voluntarily because it will spoil the stack. The positioning kit is extremely simple.
==best, Pawel
Thanks Pawel =D>

Is ethyl chloride also used in medical cooling spray? Or what source can you recommend.

pawelfoto
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Re: Tongue of the bumblebee

Post by pawelfoto »

My mistake! :oops: - not chloride, but ethyl acetate. I just edited my post, Thank you "lothman" for being careful and paying attention !!! =D> Indeed, in surgery, ethyl chloride is sprayed for local anesthesia by freezing. We do not want to freeze insects because it destroys the tissue structure. It is enough to put a cotton swab soaked in ethyl acetate into the container with the insect. Purchased in a chemical reagent store as a liquid.


rjlittlefield
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Re: Tongue of the bumblebee

Post by rjlittlefield »

pawelfoto wrote:
Sat Jun 05, 2021 2:59 pm
Indeed, in surgery, ethyl chloride is sprayed for local anesthesia by freezing.
More pedantry...

When I first saw "ethyl chloride" in your original post, I looked it up to learn its properties. According to Wikipedia:
It acts as a mild topical anesthetic by its chilling effect when sprayed on skin, such as when removing splinters or incising abscesses in a clinical setting.
...
The heat absorbed by the boiling liquid on tissues produces a deep and rapid chill, but since the boiling point is well above the freezing point of water, it presents no danger of frostbite.
The boiling point is listed as 12.27 °C (54.09°F).

I was interested to learn this because I had vaguely remembered being told that the chilling liquid that phlebotomists used to spray on my arm for blood donations (in the days before ultrasharp needles!) was methyl chloride. But Wikipedia says that methyl chloride has boiling point −23.8 °C (−10.8 °F) and is way more toxic, so now I'm thinking the chilling liquid was probably ethyl chloride and I just heard wrong.

But getting back to serious issues, I find that ethyl acetate kills pretty quickly but often leaves the insect's muscles rigid after death, which can interfere with mounting or posing.

Is this the reason for your "24 hours to stop moving voluntarily", or is there some other issue?

--Rik

pawelfoto
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Re: Tongue of the bumblebee

Post by pawelfoto »

I am not a specialist in killing insects and I do it with mixed feelings. But I always try to make it so that they don't suffer (at least in our human understanding). I learned about ethyl acetate from entomology manuals. In cosmetology, it is used as an ingredient in nail polish remover (instead of acetone). My observations are this: it kills insects within minutes. Then there is the "golden hour" when they are fresh, not stiff and completely still. After that, some individuals begin postmortem rhythmic movements. It is frustrating when an insect starts tapping its leg to the "Good Vibrations" rhythm during a photo session. Such a condition may last more than a day in larger insects. I don't know much about invertebrate physiology, but spinal reflexes may still be active in vertebrates after cerebral death. I position the insect with pins on a polystyrene plate and put it in a box with a gauze pad soaked in water in the fridge. I've heard alcohol can fade colors. I didn't notice it after a few minutes of exposure to ethyl acetate fumes (once a blue dragonfly turned white)
==best, Pawel

rjlittlefield
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Re: Tongue of the bumblebee

Post by rjlittlefield »

Thank you for the further explanation. I am familiar with the effect that you describe, but I have always interpreted the problem as "not quite dead yet, guess I should have left them longer in the fumes". It is definitely frustrating, and disturbing that I may have left the bug to suffer (whatever that might mean given the nervous system of a bug).

As an alternative to ethyl acetate and freezing (which also does not necessarily kill completely), I have had good success with over-heating. I first discovered this on a business trip when I wanted to collect some large and fearless cockroaches from the hotel room I was staying in. I had no chemicals or refrigerator to work with, so I placed the roaches in a plastic bag and submerged it in hot water from the bathroom sink. That worked like a charm. I still use heat sometimes, most often with subjects like beetles that are not damaged by direct submersion in water and are also especially resistant to chemicals. Then I think the heat treatment is rather like cooking lobsters, and less damaging to my own psyche than seeing the bug stumble around in chemical fumes.

--Rik

lothman
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Re: Tongue of the bumblebee

Post by lothman »

rjlittlefield wrote:
Sun Jun 06, 2021 11:36 am
I first discovered this on a business trip when I wanted to collect some large and fearless cockroaches from the hotel room I was staying in.
--Rik
:D :D :D :D :D =D>

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