sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

This is a beetle larva that I found on my recent hunt. I suspect it to be a June Bug but that is only a guess on my part. If you anyone knows what it is please tell me.

When I brought this specimen home I placed it in near boiling water for 5-minutes to kill the bacteria in its gut to preserve it. The last time I found one it turned black because I didn't prepare it properly.

I wanted to display it in its natural environment which is buried in the earth so I took a clod of dirt and dampened it and staged the grub on it. Below is a picture of the setup used.

This image was taken with a Nikon D810 and a Laowa 60mm f2.8 2X Super Macro set at about 1.75X, f5.6, 1/20 sec., manual mode with mirror up and viewfinder closed (otherwise fugitive light come in from the back of the camera). Lighting is constant with diffused IKEA JANSJÖ LED desk work lamps.

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kpmac Loc: Ragley, La

That's what it looks like to me. We always called them grubworms. Nice shot.

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

Thanks, that's what we call them too. I would find them when digging for worms for fishing and they made great panfish bait for bluegill and crappie.

tinusbum Loc: east texas

nice stack,i see these when i move something,like a big planter

Mark Sturtevant Loc: Grand Blanc, MI

Lots of nice, dedicate details are visible in this one. Well done.
June bug larvae tend to be in the turf, along with the similar but smaller Japanese beetle larvae. Other Scarabeid larvae would be in rotting wood. Bess bug larvae might also be in wood, but I am not sure if their larvae are Scarabeiform.

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

Mark, I found this one in the dirt under a large rotted limb in the woods the other day. We have an abundance of Japanese Beetles in our area and I seldom see them by the dozens during my summer hunts. They sure do a good job of stripping the leaves. June Bugs are plentiful also although it's too early for them to take to the air and I find them around my porches as they are attracted by the lights.

newtoyou Loc: Eastport

This looks very much like a Bess Bug grub. Yes, they are scarabs. It may not be, but good chance. Wood and woods dwellers.
Bill

newtoyou Loc: Eastport

Very nice.
The boiling water blanch does the trick. Sets the fat, kills bacteria and firms the specimen. If blackening persists, an alcohol injection and flush helps. Do you have needles and syringe?
Some specimens to mount, so later, all.
Bill

newtoyou Loc: Eastport

I get tired of spell check. Even turned off it tries to second guess me.
Bess bugs are not scarabs. The larva, tho, are scarabs form. See, it did it again. Scarabaeiform.
Bill

Pysanka Artist Loc: Rochester, NY

Cool! Thanks for showing your setup. I have a very small caterpillar that I found in my butterfly/moth hatching aquarium that is just dead and perfectly preserved. I'll have to try this to photograph it!

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

I hope to see your post when you do. The setup is quite simple as you can see. I have a macro lens on the camera so nothing special with that.

I use a couple of 2-ounce Dixie Cups like you get at a fastfood restaurant to put your catsup in to diffuse the light. I stick-glue a white paper towel around the outside of one of them and then I stack it and a plain one together (much like a paper towel sandwich).

I stick-glue two plies of paper towel on the inside of a lid and then place the lid on the two sandwiched together. I use Scotch Tape to hold them together so they don't come apart.

With that done I slice an "X" on the bottom and cut it. When the X is cut, I snip a round hole that is smaller than the LED light head and push it onto the light. It makes a soft constant light for shooting sessions.

I place a piece of black velvet cloth around the back of the specimen which is mounted on something that looks natural to where I found it. In this case it was earth.

Tune the camera's shutter speed to the middle (not over or under exposed) and shoot.