Ok, let me be the first to let me say, that is an amazing picture! I have never seen anything like it and I am a nature nut!!

Thank you for sharing!!

g

National Geographic has a site for "amateur" photographs. That's as good as most that get published in the magazine.

Wow...killer picture! :) On another note, I hate aphids!

What kind of camera did you use? I want a camera that is great for up close pictures and what you took is wonderful.

I agree, the picture is outstanding.

The camera is a Canon Powershot G10 (on sale, free shipping from Amazon). In general, it is fantastic in its macro function's ability to get close detail. The detail on the aphids is amazing. I am having a little trouble with the focusing in macro. It seems to have a very narrow focus range and, unless I have extremely bright light, I have to get very close to the bug (tricky with things that fly away). The narrow focus is making it difficult for me to get the whole bug in focus. Some part always seems to be out of focus. I'm still working through the learning curve, so I may have less trouble as I go. I had external macro lenses on my old camera (Canon Powershot A40), which may have helped with some of my issues. I may get external macro lenses for this one. One thing I can say about Canon is that their technical support is FANTASTIC. They are based in Virginia, have extended and weekend hours, are free and their techs really know their products.

If you'd like to see more marco shots, I could post some in my photobucket account. It might show you some of what the camera (even in my unskilled hands) can do. I'll link the address here once I've uploaded some.

Bellatrix

That photo is outstanding! Thanks for posting it. It sets a level of quality for me to strive for.

Jim

Wow.

Another cheer here! They may be pests, but they're gorgeous, too.

Now we're all going to want a camera like yours! (If I'd had one, maybe that tiny fly I tried to capture with my camera would have been clearer...) I'd also like to see more of your macro shots if you'd post a link.

Eeeeeeewwwww........But, WOW!

I was so impressed with the picture, I made my husband look at it, he is a photo geek amongst other things and it takes a lot to impress him, first he said that's not magnified, it's a macro lens??? which you confirmed.
then he said, "that said, that is an amazing picture well framed"...and a whole lot of technobable which I don't understand! anyway? I got the impression he was as impressed as I was.
I did know they give live birth, as my dad and pops found one when I was a kid, and we watched...before exterminating them! haha!, but the thing I still don't get is one tiny aphid can produce that many young quickly?? it defies belief! I would love to see a Proper documentry on them! not "Aphids Distroy mankind!!" type!

Nice picture from a photographic perspective, but sorry, ew on topic.

Awesome pic!! I love bug pics! I have a canon SX10is and got an adapter that enables me to attach filters to it. I got a raynox macro lens too. It's kind of hard to take macros with what is basically a point and shoot but I've managed to get a couple. You're aphids giving birth take the cake!

margocostas...talk to my hub, thats what I think he was trying to say in technobabel!

Bella - you really got to check out the market for this photo!!! (and slap a copyright on it too)

Dave

It gets even more interesting. What you are viewing is the insect version of cloning.
Aphids do, in fact, lay eggs. But they also have the ability to create a genetically identical version of themselves that they give live birth to.
In fact there are almost no male aphids until autumn.
If you are interested here is more info.

Here is a link that might be useful: Aphid info

Ditto, what Dave said! excellent picture. I had no idea about the live births..none..

Ok, I'm thoroughly disgusted by this topic but I CAN'T STOP WATCHING!

Here's a couple other pix I found googling around the web:

Pic 1
Pic 2

Dang copyright restrictions.

I wish i could upload this German greenhouse video on aphids from Biobest I have. It's all aphids and predators in close-up action. Brutal stuff...especially the parasitic wasps that lay live larvae in the aphids as hosts.

Great photo.

Wow...Aphid cloning...I bet you could get a good chunk-o-cash for this one, like others suggest.

I'm not even sure if this film is US copyright or not because it's only available from Biobest in Europe for payment in Euros. The film is one of three greenhouse production pest/management DVDs they produced.

I'm not going to upload the whole thing, but here's a short clip of an aphid giving live birth along with a short segment of an aphid producing honeydew and flicking it off.

The whole clip is only a bit over 30 seconds.

Here is a link that might be useful: aphid birth + honeydew clip (youtube)

Amazing photograph...great camera and photography skills there...

I've got a couple pics of aphids but not as good as that one. I'll have to keep an eye out for aphids giving birth so I can try and get a shot of my own.

Here's one I took recently of ants feeding off of aphids...not as clear a photo as yours, but I thought I would share it anyway.

{{gwi:47366}}

I know it doesn't compare to your pic...I will have to try and get a better one! ;)

catman

Many ants "farm" the "sweet honeydew" produced by aphids; they aren't an aphid predator. Check out the clip in the post just above yours to see an aphid flicking the drop of honeydew off. It's a fascinating relationship the two insects have.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ants herding aphids

Wow - that's a fantastic photo!!

I try so hard to be a photographer, but I'm clueless lol!! I just take 50 million pictures hoping that at least a couple come out decent! I'm technically challenged, however, and I'm going to need someone right there, showing me step-by-step what to do.

One of my favorite things is taking pics of garden "critters" as I call them. I have a whole collection. Your photo blows the best of mine away tho!! I should do some research and get a good camera - I have an Olympus now and taking real close-ups is what I like doing. My camara isn't that good at it, however.

Good job tho!

Lisa

Grrrrrrrrrrr...I found my first aphid this morning on a pepper plant. :( Gave him a Neem Oil spray until I can order some ladybugs.