Red Velvet Mite

[TCimages]

Spring is coming. Had a chance to get out for a hike today and found this guy:

 

[Sw1tchFX]

Why is it so red? I've never seen anything like that before.

 

[TCimages]

My only guess would be for protection. Nature seems to use bright colors as a warning that "Im Poisonous" so they wont be eaten. However, I'm pretty sure these are not poisonous.

 

[Sw1tchFX]

I did some research and found that these are predatory mites, eating the eggs of grasshoppers.

Interesting!

 

[TCimages]

I read that as well. Amazing the things you find doing Macro work.

 

[Sarah23]

EWWWW...I hate bugs like that. They make my skin crawl and I get itchy! lol!

But other then the fact that its a BUG...nice shot! very bright red little thing, isnt it!!

 

[TCimages]

sorry Sarah. You might want to hide from some of my posts

 

[Trenton Romulox]

Excellent! That red is brilliant, it really stands out nicely. Excellent detail in the shot. Only thing I'm thinking about here, maybe, just maybe, there'd be a better orientation for the shot. Maybe not. You've probably experimented with them anyways. Seriously awesome shot though! You're a macro master, TC.

 

[250Gimp]

Very nice capture!!

The lighting is very nice. Do you mind if I ask what you use? Is it a soft box or off camera flash?

Cheers

 

[Sarah23]

sorry Sarah. You might want to hide from some of my posts

Oh no! I love your pictures! Its just THIS bug that gets to me! lol!

 

[TCimages]

Very nice capture!!

The lighting is very nice. Do you mind if I ask what you use? Is it a soft box or off camera flash?

Cheers

Thanks for the comments.

I used the Canon MR-14 Ringflash for this shot.

 

[250Gimp]

Thanks TC.

Can't afford a ring flash, so I think I will try a soft box.

 

[TCimages]

I recommend the Lumiquest Soft Box. Up until a couple weeks ago, all my shots were taken with one.

 

[Wozza]

How big are these? Wondering if they are what I think they are. A bit less than a mm?

Vivid image with amazing detail.

 

[TCimages]

Normally, I think mites are around 2mm, but this guy was really big, I would guess about 5mm.