Zooman 1

Greetings one and all,

I am looking for suggestions on a difficult photo situation. I was asked to photograph the queen bee in a display bee hive at the Sugar Grove Nature Center in central Illinois. A volunteer who cares for the bees ask this and was there to find the queen in the glass covered hive. First problem: the display hive is 3 levels high, and in a very tight location where there was not enough room to use either a tripod or even a monopod. So had to hand hold. Second problem: While I could clean off the outside of the glass, there was no way to clean the inside glass. Third problem: Even when the queen was located she never was fully exposed, always one or more drones were covering her. Fourth problem: reflections from the outside of the glass when I used a flash or an LED light, both provided sufficient light. I have attached the 2 best images, neither what I would call good. Can not remove the queen, so thought I would reach out to fellow Hedgehogers for help!

fourg1b2006 Loc: Long Island New York

I don't even know how you managed to get this shot.Good job.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

Really.

"always one or more drones were covering her."

Drones just doing their job

G Brown Loc: Sunny Bognor Regis West Sussex UK

Can the volunteer not smoke them for a while to allow you to safely remove the glass. This is a usual thing to do with bee hives and 'slows them down' a little. Perhaps then you could clean the glass also.

In PP you could lighten the exposure a little of the first image.

perhaps stand back a bit and then crop to 'zoom in' either hand held or using the tripod so that final cut remains sharp.

Think about 'where' the hive is in relation to the sun's arc. will it get natural light or can you go when the hive is in a light shade so less reflection and over expose a little to 'add light'.

Bees are always climbing over the queen and others. Use a shutter burst so that you can perhaps get the one image you want from 100, rather than trying to get that 1 in a hundred shot first time.

good luck and remember to blow off bees not slap them.!!(unless they are african bees -they just hurt a little) They will ignore you so long as you are not waving your arms and screaming or eating ice cream.

Have fun

chrisg-optical Loc: New York, NY

I think difficult is more an understatement - impossible to get a decent shot like this. I've seen good video shots of queen bees on PBS shows but it was an open hive (with the beekeeper and photographer in bee suits). The glass has to go to get a good shot, and since they move quickly high speed capture frame rate with high shutter is necessary - maybe LED supplement lighting - flash doesn't recycle fast enough.

ka5ysy

I keep bees. You can easily locate the queen by finding the frame with fresh eggs in unsealed cells. Look around or have the beekeeper find her for you and hold the frame in a suitable lighting situation around the hive. A shade area will give softer lighting. Unless it is a windy day or weather in the area the bees will not be disturbed by removing the frames. I usually do not smoke the hive when locating the queen because it causes a lot of activity with the bees trying to avoid the smoke and makes finding the queen much harder.

In reality if there are a lot of drone bees in the hive it usually indicates a new queen in the hive very recently or the hive is about to swarm. After the new queen is mated the worker bees (all females) eject the big fat male drones !

Another important thing; wear white or light color clothing. Bees will attack black or dark clothing pretty aggressively if disturbed. If you happen to get stung, do not try to pick off the white stinger sac with your fingers. Use your fingernail , or a pocket knife to scrape it off as if you are shaving. This avoids injecting the venom sac into the sting site. Do this fairly quickly because the stinger has muscles that will continue to drive the stinger deeper while injecting the venom.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Didn't they movies about this?

Mission Impossible

PhotogHobbyist Loc: Bradford, PA

Many years ago it was a TV program. “Your assignment, Mr. Phelps, if you decide to accept it...” was part of the opening scene.

Glenn Harve

There is no substitute for experience. Great post.

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

Moral of the story: Do not say yes to taking images that you cannot possible get or are not qualified to get. Learn to say NO.

Zooman 1

Thanks to everyone for your comments. I think I need to clarify, this is a display bee hive, it is indoors in the nature centers building. It is in a room with other display animals. Moving it is not possible, neither is taking it apart, at least not at this time. But, from some of the comments I have learned more about bees. Thanks again. I will keep trying to get the queen photographed and will share when and if that happens.

chikid68 Loc: Tennesse USA

try a cheap toilet gasket looking rubber lens hood.
you can press it directly against the glass and block a lot of reflection plus it will help stabilize the hand held shot

ka5ysy

Now that we know it is a display hive, see if you can borrow a ring light . That will give even lighting. Good luck trying to isolate the queen. The display hives usually have a small inside display area attached via tubes or something of the sort to the larger external hive. Unless they have a queen excluder (a wire mesh the queen cannot pass through due to her greater thorax and abdomen diameter) keeping her in the display area she will have access to the external hive and be very difficult to locate and photograph.

By the way, none of those bees in your photos appear to be drones. They are all worker bees attending the queen and keeping her fed and groomed. They are quite amazing insects.

cmc4214 Loc: S.W. Pennsylvania

If everyone took your advice, no one would ever learn how to tackle something difficult

Zooman 1

Not sure what you mean by your comments. I certainly am qualified to photograph just about everything I have tried, I do say no to Wedding photography, been there, don't want to be there again! Will keep trying to get the queen bee photo. Thanks again to all who have replied.