MicrobeHunter.com Microscopy Forum

Hello, My name is Scott I am beekeeper from Northern Ontario, Canada.
I am mostly interested in looking at honeybees and the pollen they collect.
I have a Leitz Laborlux S microscope.
I squished my first bee yesterday (first one intentionally) and spent a few hours looking at the pollen and other goodies in its guts. I found a massive tube structures that after studying a bee biology book of mine realized I was looking at the tracheal tubes it was a great day.
So now I need to hook up a camera.
I will move over to the section for cameras to ask how I best go about that.
Thank You.
Scott

Hey Scott-welcome-I used to keep bees thirty years ago-this project will be fascinating. I was filming bees last year in slow motion and realised they have 3 ”fingers” to grab onto the flower and they seem to love bashing the top of the flower for a golden bath of pollen. I use a 70 year old French retrofocus lens with hexagon iris for macro so you get these optical repeating hexagon patterns in the background when the sun hits it right mimicking the bee comb. In slow mo you can see just how long their tongues stick out-beautiful insects-not to mention home grown honey vastly superior to supermarket. Here’s a still from the video-he was drowning in my cats water bowl so rescued him-that’s why he’s wet.
Regards ross
P.S did the bee have any interesting microbes in their gut like termites do?

Hello and welcome to the forum!

Hi, WhyMe, Thank you. I have been looking around the forum all day and I think this will be a great place for a new bee like me to learn.

Hi, Rossf, That is a very nice close up photo of that little lady. When they get into a flower all those hairs have a static charge that helps the pollen stick to them and then they groom the pollen off their body then pack it into all these hairs on the rear leg to carry it home.
The fun thing about those hairs under the microscope they look like feathers.
And yes the other day when looking at the few bees that I smushed there are all kinds of cool things to see. I think this new hobby can easily fill the long winter months here.
Once I get this camera thing sorted out I will upload some photos to my web site for all to see.
Scott

Hi Scotty, and welcome

Just thought-microscopic photos of the stinger would be pretty cool..

Welcome scottybee from another Ontarian. I'm sure you'll find this a worthwhile place to hang out.
Tom W.