Insect Cooperation Assistant

Ever wanted to get up close to a bug but you really don't want to just sit with it in your hand? I do lots of extreme macro and this makes the subjects more coopertive without harming them.

Step 1 Materials

1 Bic round Stick Pen (or similar removable on both ends pen)
1 piece of soft cloth
Masking Tape
1 Rubber Band
Fishing string or thread
Scissors

Comments

[corsairdude]

I just realized how much those really scare me Dx

[Superchef]

Really awesome instructable, but it doesn't reduce the extreme fear I have of bugs/insects.

[jeoncs]

Well from everything I've seen on tv is exposure to your fears is how you overcome them. And when has tv ever been wrong?

[jlms]

When you fear tigers?

[jeoncs]

I would go on safari or maybe to a trained one. Then again I live in Michigan if I see one out of a zoo I don't know what I'll do

[Light_Lab]

Most pro photographers just put the insect in the fridge for a while. Most insects metabolism slows down as it gets colder. Apparently it does not harm them if you don't freeze them solid.

[MadreMia]

After reading the above comment...

Hubby: "I like 'em better from the freezer. They're crunchier."
Me: "Gross"

[Light_Lab]

That's nothing; here in Oz we have the Queensland Toadcicle, a frozen cane toad on a stick.

[jeoncs]

Yea I'm guilty of that one sometimes

[mickryobe]

This is a great idea.

I wonder if a very thin, transparent, monofilament thread would not serve as well as the string or thread and be less noticeable.

[jeoncs]

depends on how close you are getting. I've used fishing string before and because of how closer you get you can still see it. Main thing with this it really is good for cataloging or if you a REALLY close which I only operate in REALLY close haha

[mickryobe]

In my experience with insects the closer the better. They are rather small, at least in Ontario where I live.
If I were in the jungles of South America I would be a little more circumspect (cautious, cowardly, stand offish).

[StickMaker]

A very good idea. I love to photograph BIG GAME such as Moose, Bears, etc but sometimes the VERY SMALL wildlife is just as cool.

To shoot insects and arachnids, I just SLOWLY crawl closer and closer. One WOLF SPIDER offered me some shots e.g. this one:
http://www.sticksite.com/insects/bug(13).html and if you remove the bug(13).html part, you can see the others.

THIS made me realize one of my all time favs in NOT on that page; will try to add it today.

Thanks for the Instructable!

[Fretka]

I just had to say... I went to your page and spent a good portion of my day looking at the photos...I didn't get any housework accomplished, but I totally enjoyed my self looking at the amazing pictures you took !!
Thank you for sharing and the work you did !

[StickMaker]

THANK you for that, Fretka; that made the page(s) worth doing. Must be tough to be an entomologist!

[jeoncs]

awesome I just did some good ones where I was letting one run free. The newest are at the bottom of the set but I was pretty happy with it http://www.flickr.com/photos/jongavinliz/sets/72157602540392366/with/5660392002/

[Silence]

@ StickMaker, Fretka and jeoncs
VERY NICE.... what do you folks use for macro ?
I have a set of extension tubes I use with a 70-300mm lens (+crop factor) My pics are up on Facebook, If anyone's interested in a look, send me a message.

[Silence]

I decided to sign up for a flickr account. check it out
http://www.flickr.com/photos/neuralatrophy/sets/
Still in the process of getting figuring it out and getting everything up.

[StickMaker]

Lately, I've been using the Canon SX20 IS and nothing else. Has a SUPER MACRO mode that works fine.

Maybe my own fav is this one which I printed, framed, and hung on the wall full-size:
http://www.sticksite.com/insects/bug(10h).JPG

Good enough for an amateur such as I anyway.

[jeoncs]

I use a reversal lens 28-80 canon and a ring flash sometimes a manual bellows

[mothflavour2]

Your subject is missing a leg!

[jeoncs]

Yea I found him that way :/ It didn't seem to bother him too much though

[skittlespider]

Well, he does have a few extra.

[ElectroFrank]

If I remember rightly, they grow new ones when they shed their skin.

Here's an idea for the capture rope: Kevlar thread, available from magician's suppliers as Invisible Thread. (Also on Ebay.)

It looks like ordinary thread, but when you strip it down, there are 120 tiny individual threads, each having a breaking strain of about 3/4 ounce (20 grams) (If you buy it ready stripped, it's incredibly expensive.)

You will need strong reading glasses (or a fixed magnifier), good tweezers and excellent dexterity to handle it. Cut a length, e.g. 12", then tease out a single strand and pull. Stick each end to a tiny piece of card for ease of handling, take the center of the loop through your pen with a needle.

Post the results !

[lovejess]

What kind of spider is that?

[jeoncs]

I am not sure to be honest I thought it was a Dandy Long Legs but I don't think it is after seeing it closer. It has long legs like one I found it in a cool corner in a web off of cement walls. Maybe we have some arachnid experts around :)

[etymological]

Probably a cellar spider of some variety.

[Cephus]

It's a blast-ended skrewt!

[Parrhesia]

The American House Spider (Parasteatoda tepidariorum) seems like a match - check out insectidentification.org. "Arthropodidentification.org" might be more accurate, but maybe not so accessible to their target demographic. The site is geared toward people who are interested in "bugs" and want to learn more.

This is a nifty and kind little device, thanks for sharing it!

[malsonc]

I hate to point out that the creature in your intial photos is NOT an insect. Spiders are quite different creatures - and ones I don't care to get any closer than a fly-swatter to. :-)

Otherwise it was a good Instructable - Thanks!

[jeoncs]

:D

[skittlespider]

Man, I had hoped to be the first to say that the "insect" in the first photo was actually a spider.

Anyway, this is a great idea! It seems like a very humane way to photograph our little friends without harming them.