This is a focus-stacked image of the pollen-covered honey bee that worked herself to death that I found expired in July. She is kept as a dry specimen in a medicine bottle with a mothball to dispatch any no-see-ems that feed on carcasses.
I staged this session with a 10X Infinity Plan microscope objective and a Raynox DCR-150 as the tube lens extended on a bellows. The waves of light pass through the infinity objective in a laminar flow and the purpose of the tube lens is to bring them to a focal point on the camera sensor. It is critical that whatever is used as the tube lens be focused to infinity to achieve the sharpest possible image.
wow, looks like a mutated corona virus
Chuck
charlienow wrote:
wow, looks like a mutated corona virus
Chuck
Chuck, anyone that has allergies now knows how sticky pollen can be troublesome.
dborengasser wrote:
Great! Thank You.
Thanks for stopping by, Dborengasser.
Great stack, sippy. Looks like a minefield.
Wow! Now that is detail, Gary!
kpmac wrote:
Great stack, sippy. Looks like a minefield.
Thanks, Kpmac. I appreciate your viewing.
UTMike wrote:
Wow! Now that is detail, Gary!
Thanks, UTMike. The pollen looks like dust to the unaided eye. It isn't until it is viewed under magnification that we can start to see the shape and details of the individual grains of pollen.
The honey bee has evolved to maximize collection with hairs that are bristled compared to that of a smooth shaft which you can see on the hair at the top of the image. The bristles help attract and hold the pollen which is sticky. More hair surface means more pollen collection per forage outing.
jaymatt wrote:
Interesting!
Thanks, Jaymatt. Where would a farmer be without pollen?
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