There are advantages and disadvantages to social media. It allows you to keep in touch with friends and family worldwide, which is crucial during the coronavirus epidemic. However, it can also be where we see gorgeous photographs of creatures we often perceive as spine-chilling.
Although pests can be a disturbance that requires calling pest control services, they can sometimes be fascinating. The way they live their lives is appealing, and how they reach our home as their habitat can be quite a story. Read further to know their exciting features.
American Cockroaches
American cockroaches are among the most photographed pests in the world. They are large, with their length growing up to more than three inches. Most of the time, however, they are only one to two inches long. They have a dark and reddish-brown feature with a lighter color that outlines their bodies. The feature that everyone identifies it for is its yellow-colored eight-figure pattern seen behind their head. Both genders of the American cockroach grow fully developed wings that are longer than their bodies, giving them the ability to fly.
Millipedes
Millipedes are often mistaken as insects, but they’re not. They are arthropods that belong to the Diplopoda family. Because of their typically black or brown color with a length ranging from one to two inches, they are a unique sight. People often post photos of millipedes online lying on their sides, showing their 60 to 400 legs.
People also know them to have two leg sets for each segment of their bodies, unlike centipedes. This makes their legs appear in a unique wave-like motion whenever they move. Their legs are shorter than a centipede’s and move very slowly despite their legs reaching more than a hundred.
Ants
Ants are everywhere and are pretty easy to spot. It also makes it easy to photograph. They are social insects that belong to Hymenoptera, a specific order of insects containing wasps and bees. As easy as they are to shoot, they are tricky to handle as pests, mainly because they live in large communities. The ants in the house depend on each other to make sure their colony survives.
Ant colonies are known for their nests underground that comprise several interconnecting tunnels and chambers. This is where food is stored, eggs lie, and nurseries maintained. Thousands of ants can mass the entire colony. Another, they don’t only have one settlement surrounding the area; they can have several. Because of this reason, they are pretty challenging to eradicate.
Yellow Sac Spiders
These spiders are common house spiders. Although they typically live outside, they tend to move indoors significantly and are active for months. They are only half an inch long and are pretty fast-moving. They have pale, yellow features and are primarily found in almost any room inside the house. Their silk sacs are where they rest during the day and hunt actively at night for other insects, including smaller spiders.
During hunting, however, they tend to bite humans they accidentally encounter if pinched or brushed. Statistics show that yellow sac spiders account for the most spider bites on people than any other spider. Fortunately, they don’t possess deadly venom. It only produces localized, minor pain and inflammation similar to that of a mosquito bite.
Tips for Insect Photography
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Keep your eyes open
Insects are known to camouflage well with nature. And despite them being all around us, they can become quite challenging to spot. Learning how to take beautiful photos of insects also means learning how to see them. Once you see one, look for the best angle and shoot! Most of the time, humans easily overlook insects, but you can observe and examine where their typical habitats are.
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Be patient
Patience is a virtue. Unfortunately, you can’t ask insects to pose for you and demand a certain angle. You’ll have to wait for the best opportunity to present itself as a way of compensating for their lack of cooperation. Take the time to creep about since sounds easily distract our friendly bugs and flies.
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Know your kit
Despite plenty of photographers using conventional lenses, macro lenses are ideal for shooting insects. They offer excellent results with up-close shots. Although they are relatively expensive, they are designed to focus from nearly six centimeters away to infinity, making them suitable for general shooting.
Because pests are only known as intruders in our home, they are, most of the time, disregarded and swatted away. However, if you’re a professional photographer, you’ll learn how much effort it takes to shoot mesmerizing photos of these creatures beautifully. Seeing such images ultimately makes you forget how disturbing they are to our home and realize that they’re only fighting for their survival, similar to ours.