Bombus humilis - You would think from the genus name that this is a bumble bee. But, as I found out when looking up this lovely Slovakian bee from Peter Šima I have to do a little background reading. My expectation was that this common bee which spans the northernish section of the Eurasia (the Palearctic if you want to be fancy) would be something something bumble bee, but....and hear I think I have a strong case for English eccentricism (which I prefer over American exceptionalism, because eccentric acts are usually gentle and harmless) I find out this bee is one of a group of 3 "carder bees". Of course this is doubly confusing because the English also call Anthidiums "Wool Carder Bees" (completely different family by the way). It seems so unnecessary since any reasonable person would call them "bumble bees" and so typical of the English language. If only North American chose to speak Spanish like most of the rest of the hemisphere this problem would not occur because Spanish is a reasonable language with clear rules. For some reason the person taking this picture did not log their data into the tracking spreadsheet (I wonder if I can also blame this on the English language...).
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All photographs are public domain, feel free to download and use as you wish.
Photography Information:
Canon Mark II 5D, Zerene Stacker, Stackshot Sled, 65mm Canon MP-E 1-5X macro lens, Twin Macro Flash in Styrofoam Cooler, F5.0, ISO 100, Shutter Speed 200
We Are Made One with What We Touch and See
We are resolved into the supreme air,
We are made one with what we touch and see,
With our heart's blood each crimson sun is fair,
With our young lives each spring impassioned tree
Flames into green, the wildest beasts that range
The moor our kinsmen are, all life is one, and all is change.
- Oscar Wilde
You can also follow us on Instagram - account = USGSBIML
Want some Useful Links to the Techniques We Use? Well now here you go Citizen:
Best over all technical resource for photo stacking:
www.extreme-macro.co.uk/
Free Field Guide to Bee Genera of Maryland:
bio2.elmira.edu/fieldbio/beesofmarylandbookversion1.pdf
Basic USGSBIML set up:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-_yvIsucOY
USGSBIML Photoshopping Technique: Note that we now have added using the burn tool at 50% opacity set to shadows to clean up the halos that bleed into the black background from "hot" color sections of the picture.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bdmx_8zqvN4
Bees of Maryland Organized by Taxa with information on each Genus
www.flickr.com/photos/usgsbiml/collections
PDF of Basic USGSBIML Photography Set Up:
ftp://ftpext.usgs.gov/pub/er/md/laurel/Droege/How%20to%20Take%20MacroPhotographs%20of%20Insects%20BIML%20Lab2.pdf
Google Hangout Demonstration of Techniques:
plus.google.com/events/c5569losvskrv2nu606ltof8odo
or
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4c15neFttoU
Excellent Technical Form on Stacking:
www.photomacrography.net/
Contact information:
Sam Droege
sdroege@usgs.gov
301 497 5840
