sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

This is my preserved Four-Toothed Mason Wasp and they are beneficial to have in the garden for they reduce the number of leaf-eating caterpillars using them as food for their larvae. The females use the abandoned nests of Carpenter Bees, Mud Daubers, ground nests of bees, or hollow stems in plants.

The females hunt for caterpillars and cutworms and permanently paralyzing them to bring them back to the nest where she will lay an egg and then plugs the hole of the nest . When her larvae emerge they will find their first meal ready and waiting for them.

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kpmac Loc: Ragley, La

Wow. This one is really good.

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

Thanks, Kpmac. Like anything, sometimes things turn out better than others.

docshark Loc: Millersville, PA

Love this shot Gary. Love the shape of the compound eyes. Great job.
>i< Doc

jackm1943 Loc: Omaha, Nebraska

Assuming this is a great stack, can you share the f stop and approximate distance between images? Thanks in advance. I can't imagine how you do so many great stacks, you must spend a lot of time in your digital studio.

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

Thanks, Doc. With cold weather set in and time on my hands I have the opportunity to experiment.

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

Thanks for asking for I truly enjoy sharing what I do and how I do it.

The lens that I used for this and most other recent posts is an old 5X power industrial microscope objective and I've attached a picture of it to show what it looks like. A typical 4X or 5X objective like you would see on a microscope is about the size of a thumb. This one is about the size of a fist. It's also shockproof and dustproof although that is not necessary for what I use it for.

Microscope objectives use "NA" numbers rather than aperture f/stop numbers. A microscope objective is used wide open unless used in a specialty application. This objective has an 'NA' of 0.13 and using a NA to f/stop converter it is equivalent to an f/3.8.

According to Nikon literature for this objective it is telecentric and it has a depth of field of 0.17 microns (essentially flat depth of field). It's working distance from the sensor plain of the camera to the subject is 64mm which provides ample distance to illuminate the subject and it weighs 150 grams.

I set the step distance between shots to be 17-micrometers and this image was 162 shots for what is in focus.

I shoot in camera RAW and convert them to TIFF and then process the batch in Zerene Stacker to produce the final image.

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Mark Sturtevant Loc: Grand Blanc, MI

👍 Very good.

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

Thanks, Mark. I value your feedback.

naturepics43 Loc: Hocking Co. Ohio - USA

Very nice stack but I don't see the four teeth .

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

Thanks for viewing. I'd have to turn it on its back to be able to see its mandibles which are it biting and chewing jaws that have two bumps on each of them which is how they got the name. This specimen has curled, which many do when dead, and I fear that I would pull its head off if I tried to pull its head back.

naturepics43 Loc: Hocking Co. Ohio - USA

No, No. Don't do anything to damage you specimen. I sometimes have a weird sense of humor. I haven't been back very long but I'm sure you'll get used to my weirdness.

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

Oh, I understand...I'm quite that way myself and afterall, it's one of the few things that are truly free in life.

Bar Loc: da 'YouPee', eh!

WOW

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

Thanks for the feedback.