Your opinion? Orange Spider Wasp (Cryptocheilus bicolor) Rye, Victoria

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EXIF
Sony A7iii, 90mm, f/10, 1/200 sec, ISO 800, Manual, No flash, handheld

Chavezshutter

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While on vacations to a nearby beach I saw this beautiful wasp. It is about 4 cm long and it was hunting.

It's movement I can only describe as a bee on crack cocaine or some other heavy drug. Very erratic stop and go fast movement, jumpy and very aggressive, it would not sit still for a second, continously combing the sand with those long tendrill like antennas for smell of prey. If i got too close to it would shake it wings and hopping towards me to get me to back off.

The antennas were almost like octopus arms, searching, sniffing and sensing, they whipped back forth scanning like ..well.... whips i guess. I wanted to capture some of the motion of those antennas and i paid the price of missing a lot of shots because of it. I visit this area often so next time I will shoot it with a faster shutter, but I wanted to share with you these photos regardless.

I took about 90 shots, lots were not as sharp as i like. It doesn't help that it can fly at any time and with its size I did not want this wasp getting too close to me. Here are two of my favourites..

DSC05774.jpg

DSC05765.jpg
 

nataliaflejszar&Photo

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very beautiful this insect is.. agressive beauty,,, :D , are e xciting when you shoot this insects? :D , I can imagine it.. :D ;) . tHANKS FOR SHARING YOUR PICTURES WITH US... Chavezshutter Chavezshutter .. ;)

I'm so tired with my work.. that is hard to write comments with high quality.. sorry , working at home is not easy.. :D, but Tring to live some of comments.. if -I watching pictures.. ;) :D

Nice to see something quite diffrend.. ;) from far.. Australia..
 
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Helix_2648

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I would be also afraid to come closer to such a wasp. The sting of such a wasp hurts for sure a lot.

Do you if it's poison Chavezshutter Chavezshutter? But indeed great pictures!
 

Yohanna_D

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there is a lot you can do with this beautiful insect; too bad you shot it from above thus giving the illusion of crashing it :D
if you have the chance to have it on another surface like a plant, than the sky is the limit. :)
 
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Chavezshutter

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Helix_2648 Helix_2648 Thank you! They are not lethal but very painful, bullet ants are the only land species insect that i know of that are more painful but there might be more. You really have to provoke them for them to attack which is lucky.
 

Chavezshutter

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Yohanna_D Yohanna_D Thank you for your comment! I'm sure I will get the chance to shoot it again. I actually got some shots lower down at ground level that day, but apart from a rear shot the rest were out of focus.
I knew I was pushing my luck with my shutterspeed but i really wanted to show those antennas in action, it was mesmerizing seeing them at work.

I watched it for a good 20 minutes or so and during that time it was scanning the ground most of the time except for little jumping short flights ( when i ran as fast as i could šŸ˜† ). It was sniffing for spiders. I hope it does land on something like a leaf on my next encounter.

Cheers
 

Helix_2648

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Mhh.. that's a pitty that these insects don't accept that you're a nice and friendly photograph and that you don't want to hurt them. They might be more patient if they would know it. :);)

Maybe you'll get a new chance within the next days Chavezshutter Chavezshutter
 
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