Cleaning bugs

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NikonUser
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Joined: Thu Sep 04, 2008 2:03 am
Location: southern New Brunswick, Canada

Post by NikonUser »

Just tried to clean another fly. This is a cluster fly that emerged last Fall (or Autumn) and spent the Winter accumulating debris. It woke up yesterday in some warm sunshine (big mistake to wake up in my back yard).
A 3 minute vibration with very very dilute baby shampoo as the cleaner gave a very clean fly; the trailing edges of the wings sustained some damage. All the fine hairs came out well. I see some spots of the eye and a scale behind the head but I believe these were attached after the cleaning (flies just seem to attract dust out of the air). There is 1 piece of debris on a lower bristles that appears to have survived the wash.
Nikon 4x CF N Plan finite on bellows; Zerene Stacker PMax processing.
Image
NU13-02-28
NU.
student of entomology
Quote – Holmes on ‘Entomology’
” I suppose you are an entomologist ? “
” Not quite so ambitious as that, sir. I should like to put my eyes on the individual entitled to that name.
No man can be truly called an entomologist,
sir; the subject is too vast for any single human intelligence to grasp.”
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr
The Poet at the Breakfast Table.

Nikon camera, lenses and objectives
Olympus microscope and objectives
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johan
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Post by johan »

Looking really handy NU, I'm very tempted. How are you drying them afterwards?
My extreme-macro.co.uk site, a learning site. Your comments and input there would be gratefully appreciated.
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NikonUser
Posts: 2693
Joined: Thu Sep 04, 2008 2:03 am
Location: southern New Brunswick, Canada

Post by NikonUser »

I rinsed this same Blowfly in distilled water and squirted about 1 mL of absolute alcohol over it to speed up the drying; then just left it on a slide to dry.
Dorsal views looks clean, just a few spots that can easily be touched up.
50 mm El Nikkor enlarging lens reversed, bellows, full frame D600, single flash, styrofoam coffee cup Zerene Stacker PMax.
Image
NU13-02-28-2
NU.
student of entomology
Quote – Holmes on ‘Entomology’
” I suppose you are an entomologist ? “
” Not quite so ambitious as that, sir. I should like to put my eyes on the individual entitled to that name.
No man can be truly called an entomologist,
sir; the subject is too vast for any single human intelligence to grasp.”
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr
The Poet at the Breakfast Table.

Nikon camera, lenses and objectives
Olympus microscope and objectives
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johan
Posts: 1005
Joined: Tue Sep 06, 2011 7:39 am
Contact:
Contact johan

Post by johan »

Thanks NU, appreciated
My extreme-macro.co.uk site, a learning site. Your comments and input there would be gratefully appreciated.
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canonian
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Joined: Tue Aug 31, 2010 4:00 am
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Post by canonian »

NikonUser wrote: They can be cleaned easily in a sonic water bath.
I've seen some posts of your sonic bath coming by.
Can you perhaps supply me with a brand, type of ebay item-number?
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