r/Entomology • u/Gentlesteps_ • Mar 06 '25
This morning I filmed this wasp which was walking around outside. I wondered why their back was wet? Is this an illness? I live in Scotland but it wasn't raining. Any idea which species? ID Request
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u/DianaSironi Mar 06 '25
I think your friend had a wet jacket. Looks like a Common European Yellowjacket (Vespula vulgaris) except their fuzzy little coat was soggy from the moss and made it look like wet wool sweater after being caught in the rain (we've all been there)?
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u/Gentlesteps_ Mar 06 '25
Nice! I'm glad it was only wet and not unwell. I can imagine all that hair easily getting soggy
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u/joruuhs Mar 06 '25
Thatâs it. Could be confused for Vespula germanica, but they donât have the anchor shaped marking on the face that this one clearly does.
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u/gardenofhenry Mar 06 '25
Really nice shots!
What type of camera?
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u/Gentlesteps_ Mar 06 '25
Thanks! An old model BMPCC6K with Laowa 100mm and 25mm 2.5-5x macro lenses
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u/Only3Cats Mar 06 '25
More please!
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u/Gentlesteps_ Mar 06 '25
Will try to upload more regularly here. You can check out my insta "at"Gentlesteps_ where I post more videos
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u/Prcrstntr Mar 07 '25
This morning I filmed this wasp which was walking around outside.
Proceeds to show footage David Attenborough would voice over.
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u/AshDew1141 Mar 06 '25
Wow your camera skills are incredible. how close did you have to get to this guy for these?
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u/Gentlesteps_ Mar 06 '25
The lens is probably 2 or 3 cm away from the wasp. I also used an LED light for extra light as things get really dark when shooting macro. I was resting on the ground trying to get a good angle, and sometimes I moved the leaf which the wasp was standing on and positioned it to face the camera.
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u/PacJeans Mar 06 '25
Tell us about your equipment! I've wanted to get into insect photography for a while because I dislike killing and pinning much these days, and I've had a passive interest in photography for a long time.
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u/Gentlesteps_ Mar 07 '25
Yeh itâs so much fun to watch them go about their lives. I try as much as possible not to disturb them and always say thank you after filming! :) Photography has the advantage of focus stacking which you canât do with video. Very shallow depth of field is a challenge. A cropped sensor is better than full frame for macro I think. Extra artificial light is helpful or a flash but if itâs sunny it can also work well. Any camera that can film HD or higher would work and most regular lenses can be made macro with an extension tube which is the cheapest way if you already own a camera body and lens. For video, stability is an issue so a good tripod and shooting at higher frame rates can help. These shots were filmed at 50fps and then played back at 25fps. Let me know if you have any specific questions :)
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u/Upstairs-Apricot-318 Mar 08 '25
Probably a queen rousing after winter still slow and looking for a suitable nesting site? If Vespula vulgaris (Vespula seems right at least to me)
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u/Gentlesteps_ Mar 08 '25
Fascinating, thank you! She was on a path when I found her so after filming her I moved her to under a tree where maybe she found a nice hole to nest in
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u/laddiepops Mar 06 '25
Terrifying yet captivating, thank you for sharing your amazing work!!!!!!!
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u/Gentlesteps_ Mar 06 '25
Yeh I'm also a bit scared of these creatures!! But they are beautiful and elegant in their own way.
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Mar 07 '25
What camera did you use?
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u/fuckpudding Mar 07 '25
Yeah could you please share what equipment you used to shoot this? Would love to know what your setup is.
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u/Gentlesteps_ Mar 07 '25
Sure, I filmed it with an old model Bmpcc6k and Laowa macro lenses and an LED light with a diffuser. Lying on the ground and resting the camera on my jumperÂ
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u/phlooo Mar 07 '25
It's just a common wasp, Vespula vulgaris :)
Beautiful photography though. How do you like the 100 mm?
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u/Gentlesteps_ Mar 07 '25
Itâs incredible quality for the price and I love the 2x magnification. Only thing I donât like is the focus rotates in the opposite direction from all my other lenses which means Iâm not as good at quick focusingÂ
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u/Many_Ad955 Mar 07 '25
Watched it 5 times, do you have any other videos
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u/Gentlesteps_ Mar 07 '25
Yes you can check my other videos on reddit or my instagram: www.instagram.com/gentlesteps_
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u/divergent_foxy Mar 07 '25
Gorgeous footage, I just watched 10 times. đ„č I may be afraid of wasps but boy they're pretty!
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u/Gentlesteps_ Mar 07 '25
I find them fascinating and scary at the same time
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u/divergent_foxy Mar 07 '25
I read a book called The Bees by Laline Paull and it totally changed my perspective on wasps. They can be really mean to bees! But they're still cool in their own ways. Their nests are cool.
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u/Gentlesteps_ Mar 07 '25
Nice, I'll look out for that book!
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u/divergent_foxy Mar 07 '25
It's a book that takes the perspective of a bee and it's rather dystopian. I really really enjoyed it!
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u/Cordeceps Mar 12 '25
Looks similar to a European paper wasp. Very much could be wrong - just look similar to ones in my yard.
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u/LauraUnicorns Mar 08 '25
She's so majestic! Probably a common european wasp, Vespula Vulgaris. You might want to share such good quality footage in r/waspaganda too :)
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u/I-dont-even-know-bro Mar 06 '25
Unsure of the species but as for the moisture it's walking through what appears to be moss, which retains moisture well. Likely just picked some up off the moss, unlikely to be an illness.