Affichage des articles dont le libellé est Johan J Ingles-Le Nobel. Afficher tous les articles
UltraMacro Carpet Moth
Larentiinae moths contain roughly 5,800 species and occur mostly in the temperate regions of the world. They are generally considered a subfamily of the geometer moth family (Geometridae) and divided into a few large or good-sized tribes, and numerous very small or even monotypic ones which might not always be valid. Well-known members are the "pug moths" of the Eupitheciini and the "carpets", mainly of the Cidariini and Xanthorhoini.
In English: "carpet moth" is just a label of a certain type of moth and this species actually has nothing to do with clothes and carpet eating moths whatsoever. Actually, it's not even the moths that eat carpets or clothes, by the time they've become a moth it's too late! It's the larva that does the eating (caterpillar). Adults just have sex and make babies and that's about it. Back to carpet moths, I personally think that of all the various moth types there are these bear quite a resemblance to butterflies, with their broad wingshape and their overall heart-ish resting state. They do tend to be small though, usually they're about 1-2cm long at most.
Last in the series of this small carpet moth, really a test of a possible solution of my 5x-10x issues. This is a stack of 250 images using Zerene Stacker, with further post processing using CS3, Topaz Detail and Noise Ninja. Diffuser was tissue paper and I used 2 flashes from the sides. What I did differently was rather than using a reversed 28mm Componon stretched out to the max length of my bellows, was put a Kenko 1.6 TC into the mix, which of course enlarged the image. Seems that this has generated something slightly better IQ than my last two, so I also went much lighter on the sharpening. Result!
Evil Weevil
Weevil is the common name for certain beetles of the snout beetle family (Curculionidae) -- small, usually dull-colored, hard-bodied insects, very common.The mouthparts of snout beetles are modified into down-curved snouts, or beaks, adapted for boring into plants; the jaws are at the end of the snout. I always think they look like a mini elephant myself. The bent antennae usually project from the middle of the snout. The largest weevils are about 3 in. (7.6 cm) long, with the average length being about 1/4 in. (0.6 cm). This one was about 4mm in length so you're looking at between half and 1 mm worth of weevil. Weevils come in an assortment of bright colors but are remarkably small and hard to see. The snout varies greatly in length among the different species; in the curculios, or nut weevils, it may be longer than the body.
Many weevils are damaging to crops. The grain or wheat weevil (Sitophilus granarius) damages stored grain. Weevils can be found in dry foods including nuts and seeds, cereal and grain products, such as pancake mix. In the domestic setting, they are most likely to be observed when a bag of flour is opened. Their presence is often indicated by the granules of the infested item sticking together in strings, as if caught in a cobweb. But, all in all, weevils are a rare occurrence in the British home. They can be removed and the area sanitised with ease. Weevils in the garden, however, can cause serious damage, especially in the early summer months when grubs are hungry and seeking food. They can become a problem if left untreated. Weevils are harmless to humans. In fact the weevil family has more species in it than any other group of organisms: about 50,000 species. You can find weevils almost everywhere but especially by looking underneath leaves in the springtime evening or by noticing signs of damage to plants. Or, as was the case with us, old birdseed at the bottom of a container in the piggery outside (shed), it was crawling with these.
