Bombus fraternus, f, face, Charleston Co., SC 2016-09-13-11.21 (29885832315)

Bombus fraternus. The Southern Plains Bumble Bee. This crisp, handsome and short-faced bee suffers from lack of an adequate publicist. Thought, several other Bumble Bees in its clan, to be in decline from introduced pathogens. It gets little mention in the bee press. Perhaps because it inhabits the flatwoods and flatlands, where heat, ticks, poisonous snakes, and topographic monotony keeps the well-healed naturalists thin on the ground. Indeed it appears to be suffering and perhaps more so than some other groups, but we know little. So, how nice to have Mimi Jenkins show up with a nice string of them from the land of watermelons outside of Charleston. Perhaps they are not so rare after all, though they once occurred in the very neighborhood of my lab and have not been seen there in over 100 years....and believe you me we have looked. Kelly Graninger, star intern, took these pictures.

14:27, 30 September 2016 (UTC)14:27, 30 September 2016 (UTC){{{{{{0}}}}}}14:27, 30 September 2016 (UTC)14:27, 30 September 2016 (UTC)

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

Beauty is truth, truth beauty - that is all

Ye know on earth and all ye need to know

" Ode on a Grecian Urn"

John Keats

You can also follow us on Instagram - account = USGSBIML Want some Useful Links to the Techniques We Use? Well now here you go Citizen:

Art Photo Book: Bees: An Up-Close Look at Pollinators Around the World

www.qbookshop.com/products/216627/9780760347386/Bees.html...

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

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

us geological survey bombus fraternus bombus heads files by usgs bee inventory and monitoring laboratory insects on black background bees ultra high resolution high resolution

20/09/2016

U.S. Geological Survey

http://commons.wikimedia.org/

public domain