This is Quite Strange
Dec 20, 2018 13:53:53 #
What a strange thing. I found this grub in the woods yesterday and I posed an image of it face-to-face and I placed him a bottle of denatured alcohol to preserve it for more sessions. When I took it out this morning....it had turned black. It went from an almost see-through white to black. How strange.
Because I need practice and enjoy any opportunity to use the camera, I took this shot using a Laowa 60mm 2X macro.
Because I need practice and enjoy any opportunity to use the camera, I took this shot using a Laowa 60mm 2X macro.
Dec 20, 2018 14:09:04 #
Dec 20, 2018 14:12:53 #
The color change is fortunate, since it makes a more interesting picture. Japanese beetle grub is a good idea. Definitely in the same family at least.
Dec 20, 2018 15:01:40 #
Dec 20, 2018 20:53:05 #
Dec 20, 2018 22:51:54 #
I also vote for Japanese beetle. The head capsule is very similar. I believe that turning black comes from internal organs quick breakdown.
In a living grub, the last three abdominal segments are waste storage before voiding. There must be a hi bacteria gutload to process plant matter. The bacteria would have time before dying in the alcohol to destroy the grub from inside. When dying normally they will still turn black. The body is very fatty.
Grubs of this type are killed in a solution called XA. It is a 50/50 solution of ethyl alcohol and xylene. There are others, but this most accessible (the hardware store). Transfer to 70% ethyl after a few hours for permanent storage. This method works for most soft bodied adult insects that tend to shrink when drying, too.
The picture in black is unusual, to say the least.
In a living grub, the last three abdominal segments are waste storage before voiding. There must be a hi bacteria gutload to process plant matter. The bacteria would have time before dying in the alcohol to destroy the grub from inside. When dying normally they will still turn black. The body is very fatty.
Grubs of this type are killed in a solution called XA. It is a 50/50 solution of ethyl alcohol and xylene. There are others, but this most accessible (the hardware store). Transfer to 70% ethyl after a few hours for permanent storage. This method works for most soft bodied adult insects that tend to shrink when drying, too.
The picture in black is unusual, to say the least.
Dec 20, 2018 23:04:21 #
It makes sense that it would be a Japanese Beetle grub for there are swarms of them around here in the spring and early summer. Right now I am using straight denatured alcohol to store the few critters that I have.
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