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Andrena minutula, Heesch, Netherlands ID tentative. I&#039;m quite sure of the genus and this species matches visually and is statistically common according to literature, yet strangely underreported in its range.<br /> <br /> I found this tiny bee (7-8mm) dead when sweeping the garden floor. It was probably a recent death as it was intact and the birds didn&#039;t get to it yet. <br /> <br /> This is a 50 image stack at 2.5 x macro. Compared to my first image stack, I consider this a step up. One thing that helps is subject size. Although still only 7-8mm, its a few times larger compared to the previous subject and that makes it easier to handle and capture details from.<br /> <br /> From this angle you can see two characteristics of this genus:<br /> 1. The long hairs on the legs, used to collect pollen<br /> 2. The stroke of pointy hair between the eyes, clearly sticking out here<br /> <br /> In dutch we call this the &quot;Common dwarf sand bee&quot;.<br /> <figure class="photo"><a href="https://www.jungledragon.com/image/93271/andrena_minutula_-_head_closeup_heesch_netherlands.html" title="Andrena minutula - head closeup, Heesch, Netherlands"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/2/93271_thumb.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1763596810&Signature=32kJQiiTBsJkWi1COegxjKxEhDg%3D" width="200" height="166" alt="Andrena minutula - head closeup, Heesch, Netherlands Mug shot of this species:<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/93270/andrena_minutula_heesch_netherlands.html<br /> This is a 3.5 x macro 50 image stack, slightly rotated and cropped.<br /> <br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/93272/andrena_minutula_-_frontal_heesch_netherlands.html Andrena minutula,Extreme Macro" /></a></figure><br /> <figure class="photo"><a href="https://www.jungledragon.com/image/93272/andrena_minutula_-_frontal_heesch_netherlands.html" title="Andrena minutula - frontal, Heesch, Netherlands"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/2/93272_thumb.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1763596810&Signature=khjyfT%2Fcw4rddOazwOo3VikuHng%3D" width="200" height="134" alt="Andrena minutula - frontal, Heesch, Netherlands A frontal 5x macro stack of this species:<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/93270/andrena_minutula_heesch_netherlands.html<br /> &quot;Making of&quot; notes:<br /> <br /> To start positively, what I like about this image is it dynamic composition. The slightly diagonal approach and its antennae coming at the viewer makes it almost pop out of the frame, which I think is cooler than a straight-on angle. Although far from perfect, I also like the dramatic lighting. A lot of macro stackers try to get perfect uniform light from all angles, in order to bring out maximal details across the subject. It&#039;s just a matter of taste, but I prefer more dynamic lighting.<br /> <br /> Lighting in this case was done using flash, compared to my earlier continuous light approach. I find flash-based results much better than continuous light. The reason is simple: it adds so much light that you can use a faster shutter speed, this is my only weapon against enemy #1 in extreme macro: micro vibration.<br /> <br /> At 5x macro, everything seems to vibrate. It could be slight wind in the room, the washing machine in the next room, somebody walking, a car passing by. Some counter this by putting their setup on a concrete floor (removes shake from table itself) and then add dampening rubber feet and run their stack at night. <br /> <br /> Flash for stacking has its downsides though. It depletes batteries rapidly and flash units really aren&#039;t made for such intense usage. They can overheat, vary output between shots, or simply fail and skip a shot, ruining the entire stack. <br /> <br /> Anyway, given my beginner level, I was happy as a child when this came out of the stacking software. The problem with this hobby is that it&#039;s quite self-defeating. When happy, you just turn up the dial of self criticism, and now I see this image differently: it has tons of flaws. But ah well. Andrena minutula,Extreme Macro,Extreme Macro Portraits,WeMacro" /></a></figure> Andrena minutula,Extreme Macro Click/tap to enlarge PromotedSpecies introCountry intro

Andrena minutula, Heesch, Netherlands

ID tentative. I'm quite sure of the genus and this species matches visually and is statistically common according to literature, yet strangely underreported in its range.

I found this tiny bee (7-8mm) dead when sweeping the garden floor. It was probably a recent death as it was intact and the birds didn't get to it yet.

This is a 50 image stack at 2.5 x macro. Compared to my first image stack, I consider this a step up. One thing that helps is subject size. Although still only 7-8mm, its a few times larger compared to the previous subject and that makes it easier to handle and capture details from.

From this angle you can see two characteristics of this genus:
1. The long hairs on the legs, used to collect pollen
2. The stroke of pointy hair between the eyes, clearly sticking out here

In dutch we call this the "Common dwarf sand bee".

Andrena minutula - head closeup, Heesch, Netherlands Mug shot of this species:<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/93270/andrena_minutula_heesch_netherlands.html<br /> This is a 3.5 x macro 50 image stack, slightly rotated and cropped.<br /> <br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/93272/andrena_minutula_-_frontal_heesch_netherlands.html Andrena minutula,Extreme Macro

Andrena minutula - frontal, Heesch, Netherlands A frontal 5x macro stack of this species:<br /> https://www.jungledragon.com/image/93270/andrena_minutula_heesch_netherlands.html<br /> "Making of" notes:<br /> <br /> To start positively, what I like about this image is it dynamic composition. The slightly diagonal approach and its antennae coming at the viewer makes it almost pop out of the frame, which I think is cooler than a straight-on angle. Although far from perfect, I also like the dramatic lighting. A lot of macro stackers try to get perfect uniform light from all angles, in order to bring out maximal details across the subject. It's just a matter of taste, but I prefer more dynamic lighting.<br /> <br /> Lighting in this case was done using flash, compared to my earlier continuous light approach. I find flash-based results much better than continuous light. The reason is simple: it adds so much light that you can use a faster shutter speed, this is my only weapon against enemy #1 in extreme macro: micro vibration.<br /> <br /> At 5x macro, everything seems to vibrate. It could be slight wind in the room, the washing machine in the next room, somebody walking, a car passing by. Some counter this by putting their setup on a concrete floor (removes shake from table itself) and then add dampening rubber feet and run their stack at night. <br /> <br /> Flash for stacking has its downsides though. It depletes batteries rapidly and flash units really aren't made for such intense usage. They can overheat, vary output between shots, or simply fail and skip a shot, ruining the entire stack. <br /> <br /> Anyway, given my beginner level, I was happy as a child when this came out of the stacking software. The problem with this hobby is that it's quite self-defeating. When happy, you just turn up the dial of self criticism, and now I see this image differently: it has tons of flaws. But ah well. Andrena minutula,Extreme Macro,Extreme Macro Portraits,WeMacro

    comments (7)

  1. View Christine Young's profile
    Christine Young
    Lion
    View Lion class
    Ohhh, this is nice! If you zoom in, you can see that even the hairs have hairs. Posted 5 years ago
    1. View Ferdy Christant's profile
      Ferdy Christant
      Lion
      View Lion class
      Christine, I told you not to zoom in on my extreme macro photos. They are already extreme. Why do you want to go extremer than extreme?

      But yes, having hairs on hairs is pretty hairy :)       Posted 5 years ago
      1. View Christine Young's profile
        Christine Young
        Lion
        View Lion class
        Haha! I MUST zoom in!!

        This bee has the perfect excuse to not shave her legs. Sorry, must have hairy legs to collect pollen.         Posted 5 years ago
  3. View Jivko Nakev's profile
    Jivko Nakev
    Lion
    View Lion class
    But I zoom it as well! :-) I am curious! Don't blame me!
    Beautiful stack, Ferdy! This is something I think I'll never try! And yet... maybe someday...     Posted 5 years ago
    1. View Ferdy Christant's profile
      Ferdy Christant
      Lion
      View Lion class
      No blame, everybody can zoom as much as they want :)
      Big difference with 1:1 macro though, if I take those shots well, there's still room to zoom whilst not destroying quality or showing a lot of issues. I can't achieve that with 5x macro, zooming in deeply will reveal a million tiny issues. In a way, zooming in deeply on a 5x macro image is similar to 10x macro.

      Mixed feelings about the hobby, Jivko. I didn't really plan to do this. It can be fun and rewarding but above all it's also a headache and frustrating. I will prefer field 1:1 macro over this, but it's nice to have as an option.       Posted 5 years ago
      1. View Jivko Nakev's profile
        Jivko Nakev
        Lion
        View Lion class
        Yes, Ferdy, the result is really amazing! But I don't have the patience to do that. Unlike the patience, I have to hide for hours in the bushes and wait for an animal to appear! Posted 5 years ago
        1. View Ferdy Christant's profile
          Ferdy Christant
          Lion
          View Lion class
          To each their own, my friend. You're a true field veteran and have my utmost respect. Posted 5 years ago

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The Common Miniature Mining Bee

Andrena minutula is a mining bee in the Andrena genus.

Info 3 0
Similar species: Wasps, Bees, Sawflies And Ants
Species identified by Ferdy Christant
View Ferdy Christant's profile

By Ferdy Christant

All rights reserved
Uploaded Apr 26, 2020. Captured Apr 11, 2020 13:36.
country flag of Netherlands Explore Netherlands 8,314 2,306 0
  • NIKON D850
  • f/1.2
  • 1/100s
  • ISO800
  • 50mm