Lunar Cycles and Summit Disease

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Ken Ramos
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Joined: Thu Jul 27, 2006 2:12 pm
Location: lat=35.4005&lon=-81.9841

Lunar Cycles and Summit Disease

Post by Ken Ramos »

I am on vacation or holiday, can't ya tell? :P Anyway this Summit Disease thing has really got me going, must be the dark of the moon. Yeah any bug stuck to something or another up off the ground, has got me running for my camera and some specimen jars to stick it in after I photograph it first and then coming back yelling "Summit Disease," ya'all better look out! :lol: :roll: Well here they are:

Image

This is what was once an ant. See that long thing growing out of its head? This is what ya'all gonna look like if you don't quit eating fungi! :lol: Fruiting body or spore bearing structure actually. Ouch, that must have hurt. As you can probably tell, these ants have been on these limbs a long time. :)

Image

Another one just to give you an idea of the altitude, actually only about four feet off of the ground. No visible spikes on this fella, they probably have been weathered off. You don't notice these things in the summertime, I would guess, with all the foliage but you can bet next summer I will. I want fresh meat! :lol:

Image

And one more, a little bright but... All of these were taken using a Sony DSC-W1 manual mode/macro. Why I didn't or don't use my Canon 20D? Don't ask me, I don't know. Hey I'm on vacation (Holiday to you chaps across the pond)! :P :lol:

DaveW
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Location: Nottingham, UK

Post by DaveW »

I was a bit confused when I read "Summit Disease" Ken, then remembered seeing a TV program where fungus infected ants climbed up trees to die. I therefore did a search and came up with this link:-

www.socgenmicrobiol.org.uk/pubs/micro_t ... 080003.pdf

There is a picture on the second page if you scroll sideways.

DaveW

Ken Ramos
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Joined: Thu Jul 27, 2006 2:12 pm
Location: lat=35.4005&lon=-81.9841

Post by Ken Ramos »

Thanks Dave :D , yes I have already read that article and included it in my post over in Micro. Very interesting and entertaining to say the least. I was really surprised at that one insect with three or four fruiting bodies protruding from it, like to find a specimen of that nature to photograph. Yes a very unusual disease, I had not heard of it myself until Doug (beetleman) brought it up some time back. :D

Moebius
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Location: Omaha, Nebraska
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Post by Moebius »

Aha! Back in May or June this past year I found all sorts of flies that had died at the tops of stems 3-5 feet off the ground. Their head was usually pointed down with their butt up in the air. Could this have been summit disease.

Below is a link to the original pic/discussion for reference.

http://www.photomacrography1.net/forum/ ... php?t=5072

Ken Nelson

Ken Ramos
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Joined: Thu Jul 27, 2006 2:12 pm
Location: lat=35.4005&lon=-81.9841

Post by Ken Ramos »

Ken asks:
Could this have been summit disease.
Well I won't say it is or it isn't but I probably am going to anyway. Right or wrong, it sure looks like it to me. Some months back I posted a small inch worm which had the same appearance as does your fly and it too was fastened to a twig above the ground, fungal hyphae covered the little worm :idea: hey...thats what my ex used to call me :lol:, it was quite stiff with its little head reared skywards. So I am going to stick my neck out and say yes it probably is Summit Disease. :D

beetleman
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Location: Southern New Hampshire USA

Post by beetleman »

Your right Ken...you better check in every day so we can make sure this stuff doesn`t cross over to humans. Here is my old post for reference on the subject. I am waiting patiently for tomorrows posts. happy dreams tonight :roll:
http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/v ... it+disease
Take Nothing but Pictures--Leave Nothing but Footprints.
Doug Breda

Ken Ramos
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Joined: Thu Jul 27, 2006 2:12 pm
Location: lat=35.4005&lon=-81.9841

Post by Ken Ramos »

Hey thanks for providing that link Doug, that helps to piece things together and put the responsibility for all this on your shoulders, should something happen and I get infec....ack! Ack!! ACK!!! :shock:

DaveW
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Joined: Fri Aug 04, 2006 4:29 am
Location: Nottingham, UK

Post by DaveW »

Doug,

"Your right Ken...you better check in every day so we can make sure this stuff doesn`t cross over to humans"

It may already have done so, I saw some girls serving behind our supermarket cash tills this Christmas with what looked like reindeer horns and antenna growing out of of their heads, but it could have been Summit Disease! :lol:

Theres also a chap here obviously aflicted by it:-

http://www.sillyjokes.co.uk/dress-up/ac ... tlers.html

DaveW

Ken Ramos
Posts: 7208
Joined: Thu Jul 27, 2006 2:12 pm
Location: lat=35.4005&lon=-81.9841

Post by Ken Ramos »

You know, now that you have mentioned it. I too have seen several people with symptoms about a week ago, looks like we could have a pandemic. :D

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