The boneset continues to draw a great variety of nectar loving insects. My next insect post will surprise you, but for now I’ll stick with a wasp that one might expect to find on a flower.
Ordinarily I’d be shooting insects with the 180 on a tripod. But this new combination of the 40D, 100 macro, and Yongnuo twin flash is allowing me to make a lot of images I might not catch otherwise.
This Paper Wasp-Polistes sp. was apparently too busy sipping the nectar of the flowers to be concerned with my close approach. I’ve found that most wasps are not very aggressive if you choose the right circumstance to photograph them. I’ve only had a stinging experience with Yellow Jackets and Bald-faced Hornets. Most others do not seem worrisome unless threatened by too close an approach.
I guess this one was in the middle of a satisfying meal and paid me no mind despite my being directly in front of it.
Stephen Gingold Nature Photography Blog 
I must echo your experiences with yellow jackets and bald-faced hornets. Both have caused us some grief at the cabin. I like the detail and the range of saturation in your first shot.
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I’ll share a rather “personal” experience that may elicit a response of “I feel your pain although I do I want to”. One particularly hot day I was mowing the yard and wearing shorts. I do not wear shorts often and that day may have been the last time. After going over one particular spot I felt a slight breeze rising from the ground. That was caused by a squadron of Yellow Jackets who had nested in the ground where I had just mowed. A few moments later I experienced stinging pain as a few of them flew up my shorts and got me where it would make the greatest impression.
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Yikes! I respectfully and sympathetically decline to click on the “like” button for this one. My most painful one ever was when one got me exactly in the middle of the back of my neck. It felt like I’d been hit with a 2×4 with a spike in it.
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That sounds just as, or more, painful.
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I still remember the day I learned two lessons: bumblebees will nest in the ground, and bumblebees can sting multiple times. Enough said.
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A good lesson to learn and better learned by word of mouth.
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Great Images Steve! Congrats on the 100mm macro! It is a great lens and gives you a little more depth of field if used at the same f/stop as on your 180mm. My favorite is the Sigma 150mm macro. At my age & some botched surgeries I do not “bend” as well as I used to!
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I’ve been shooting with this combination for a few weeks now, Reed, and have owned the 100 for years. But I generally prefer the 180 for reach. For a first generation lens it still provides very nice files.
Yeah, rising from the ground or from bed is more of a challenge now. Sorry to hear about the surgeries.
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Love the image quality, despise the subject matter. I took one through the top of my bike helmet a couple of weeks ago…took a sting on my head. No fun trying to stop from 25mph and get it out of the helmet while screaming.
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Nope, that wouldn’t be pleasant at all. There really is no preferred wasp bite experience I don’t think. Mine that I Mentioned above was quite memorable though.On a bike I would think the memory would be equally as painful considering the potential for something worse than a bite.
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Wasps have been around in good numbers here lately, so as recently as yesterday I took pictures close to one. My attitude of “I won’t bother them and they won’t bother me” has worked well.
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Generally staying out of their comfort zone works pretty well. The two I mentioned are fairly aggressive.
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I can well imagine that was the last time for you to wear shorts!!! I don’t wear shorts ever…for me it was chiggers. ugh. I do remember a similar experience with yellow jackets, being chased for quite a distance after doing some yard work. Otherwise I find hornets and wasps fairly easy to live with, as well. This fellow is quite red~different from the species I see here. Neat.
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They are so varied in both appearance and behavior. Speaking of being chased…I disturbed another yellow jacket nest in the backyard once and if you’ve ever seen a movie where a large squadron of fighter jets rises and attacks an intruding enemy plane then you can experience what it was like as I ran across the yard. 🙂
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Yup, that is just how I remember the experience! 😦
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I like the way you caught the whole insect. The contrast is phenomenal against the white.
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Thank you, Maria. This particular flower draws them in like flies to honey. 🙂 It is a great background for photographing the insects who visit.
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I do like that eye-to-eye view. I can’t quite imagine taking the time to set up a tripod, etc., in the vicinity of that critter, but of course I’ve never set up a tripod, so what do I know?!
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Then this was right up your alley, Linda. Hand held which I have been doing more often now with the flash setup. That said, I have done similar tripod mounted but the 180 gives a nice comfort zone for both me and the wasp.
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Love that face shot – wonder what it thought of you? Thankfully, not threatening.
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Apparently not much…yes, not much of a threat. Probably couldn’t see me behind the camera.
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Maybe it saw its reflection and thought it was another wasp. 🙂
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At least, if it did, the wasp didn’t attack its reflection like some birds will. 🙂
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