Do you freeze bugs?
Jul 22, 2012 09:30:03 #
Just curious. Do you think some people either capture insects alive and put them in the freezer for a while ( so the insects can be staged and not move too much) or buy insect specimens somewhere ( dead or alive) to photogaph?
Jul 22, 2012 09:35:05 #
Jul 22, 2012 10:27:36 #
GrandmaJoy
Loc: North Carolina
sarge69 wrote:
I go to inexpensive diners and collect them from the counter.
Sarge
Sarge
Sarge, This might be an interesting thread. Funny. I think the butterflys are for real. Unfortunately the mice that are fed to snakes are frozen. I don't go in pet stores for any reason.
Jul 22, 2012 11:35:45 #
I have done this in the past with dangerus and just plain "pinchy" bugs & "Critters" such as scorpions & land crabs. The rest I can handle or there are so many I can pick & choose my shot & subject.
Jul 22, 2012 12:41:08 #
Freezing bugs is a common trick used by photographers and magicians. You might have seen David Blaine bring a "dead" fly back to life. It is also why many photographers shoot insects early in the morning when it is still cold outside.
Jul 22, 2012 12:51:14 #
GrandmaJoy wrote:
No self-respecting snake would ever eat a frozen mouse unless it was at body temperature and moved. Alive rodents are just so much easier to feed. ....Unfortunately the mice that are fed to snakes are frozen. I don't go in pet stores for any reason.
Jul 22, 2012 12:55:08 #
Stevieboy wrote:
Just curious. Do you think some people either capture insects alive and put them in the freezer for a while ( so the insects can be staged and not move too much) or buy insect specimens somewhere ( dead or alive) to photogaph?
If they are active I have used the "compressed air" dust cans for cleaning my computer. They have a propellant inside that makes most any insect slow down and cooperate without killing it. You just have to turn the can upside down to discharge the propellant.
Easy, portable (especially in the woods) and works fast.
Jul 22, 2012 14:18:13 #
DavidT wrote:
Insects have no muscles. All of their movement is hydraulic, just like a backhoe arm. When hydraulic fluid (vehicular or biologic) gets cold, it thickens, making movement slow. It only takes a minute or so in the refrigerator, to immobilize a fly, bee, or spider. Once warmed, it is common for these insects to fly or crawl away, so be ready and be quick.Freezing bugs is a common trick used by photographers and magicians. It is also why many photographers shoot insects early in the morning when it is still cold outside.
I have successfully photographed large beetles and dragonflies with this technique. Antennae movement is your clue as to when an insect is warming-up, and needs to briefly re-visit the freezer.
White-Spotted Sawyer beetle (Monochamus scutellatus)
Jul 23, 2012 05:52:53 #
Jul 23, 2012 07:51:40 #
sarge69 wrote:
I go to inexpensive diners and collect them from the counter.
Sarge
Sarge
I've done the same thing. After they sample the food, they can't move very well.
Jul 23, 2012 08:04:19 #
Festina Lente wrote:
quote=Stevieboy Just curious. Do you think some p... (show quote)
Very nice. I'm gona try this. thank you for the ideal!
Jul 23, 2012 08:36:46 #
Stevieboy wrote:
Just curious. Do you think some people either capture insects alive and put them in the freezer for a while ( so the insects can be staged and not move too much) or buy insect specimens somewhere ( dead or alive) to photogaph?
A good friend of mine has her doctorate in "bugs", seriously. According to her, and she IS an expert, the freezer method works best. Dead bugs look like pictures of dead bugs.
Jul 23, 2012 09:28:43 #
jerryc41 wrote:
I've done the same thing. After they sample the food, they can't move very well.
sarge69 wrote:
I go to inexpensive diners and collect them from the counter.
Sarge
Sarge
I've done the same thing. After they sample the food, they can't move very well.
Does that food have the same affect on you as well?
I find it can often make one move much faster :lol:
Jul 23, 2012 10:25:49 #
Nikonian72 wrote:
quote=DavidT Freezing bugs is a common trick used... (show quote)
Is there a time frame in the freezer before the insects actually dies?
Jul 23, 2012 10:53:10 #
Festina Lente wrote:
GrandmaJoy wrote:
No self-respecting snake would ever eat a frozen mouse unless it was at body temperature and moved. Alive rodents are just so much easier to feed. ....Unfortunately the mice that are fed to snakes are frozen. I don't go in pet stores for any reason.
Agreed! Most of my snakes won't even look at a dead mouse. Although my corns will eat ANYTHING
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