I'm fairly new to macro and bugs. I was checking on my rose buds yesterday and saw this so I grabbed my macro lens. After my bug photo session I took the hose and hosed down the rose bush! I'm assuming they are aphids but I'm not 100% sure. Thanks for looking and commenting.
yes indeed, the white thing most likely a hover fly egg
Yes aphids, I get black ones, green ones, and yellow ones in my garden and spray with water with a little detergent in it. I find loads of them in rolled up leaves on fruit trees together with the ants that 'farm' them for the sweet liquid they exude. The white insect shapes are cast off skins called exuviae which, it is thought, the aphids don't clean away as they may act as decoys for parasitoid attack. Whatever else, they are an interesting subject for macro shots so keep 'em coming.
A very good shot well done.
Thanks for your comments and information! Now that I have a macro lens, I look at bugs in a whole new way. I'll post more here if I get any more keepers. Thanks, again!
The hobby is really fun. I have been learning about insects and spiders for years, and this hobby, which is still rather recent for me, has taught me a lot. Have fun with it.
As for the aphids, one thing to do (before you bring out the hose) is to just watch them for a while. In a large group chances are you will see a couple live births among them, plus predators (aphid lion larvae, ladybugs, etc. ) and parasites. Always a bit of drama with aphids.
For example, in just this picture (which is a beautiful picture! Very nice diffusion of light), do you see the little white oval just above the aphids? That is the egg of a Syrphid fly. The egg hatches to a slug-like larva that feeds on aphids. You have seen adult Syrphid flies in your garden, sometimes called 'hover flies'.
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