Amazing photos of creepy-crawlies

[Lady Whistledown]

I'd suggest you don't click on the link if you don't like spiders or other crawl-ey, fly-ey, bite-y things

Otherwise, these photos are AMAZING (though they might make you start scratching or imagining things crawling down your leg)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/picture-galleries/7924099/Creepy-crawlies-Amazing-Scanning-Electron-Microscope-pictures-of-insects-and-spiders.html

 

[Twinkle Toes]

Only managed the first 8 photo's until uncontrollable itching curtailed my 'enjoyment'.

Thanks for that, Edna.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Only managed the first 8 photo's until uncontrollable itching curtailed my 'enjoyment'.

Thanks for that, Edna.

Oh good, it wasn't just me then

I wanted to post them directly on here but the image information wasn't immediately available and I'm a technical incompetent so couldn't do any better

 

[Everest]

Coloured scanning electron micrograph of the head of a Silverfish (Lepisma saccharina). This primitive insect has remained unchanged for millions of years

How the hell do they know? Were electron microscopes around millions of years ago?

 

[clippedgull]

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Brilliant

Keep 'em coming (that was a bluebottle maggot, folks)

<shivers>

 

[clippedgull]

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Make sure you post a description too, so people can have the full joy of knowing that some of these beasties are quite probably in their houses or gardens right now

(I'm sure there was a bedbug in there, which we all have apparently )

 

[clippedgull]

Spider

 

[clippedgull]

Wasp, I love his little hands!

 

[clippedgull]

Bed Bug, such a cutie!!

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Bedbugs (or bed bugs) are small, elusive, parasitic insects of the family Cimicidae. The term usually refers to species that feed preferentially on human blood; all insects in this family live by feeding exclusively on the blood of warm-blooded animals. The name 'bed bug' is derived from the insect's preferred habitat of infesting houses and especially beds or other common areas where people may sleep. Bedbugs, though not strictly nocturnal, are mainly active at night and are capable of feeding unnoticed on their hosts. Largely eradicated as pests in the developed world in the early 1940s, bedbugs have been resurgent since about 1995.

 

[mcshane in the 79th]

Brilliant pictures. The first one of the maggot is my favourite

 

[clippedgull]

One in six people also admitted waiting at least a month before washing their bed sheets.

Experts say up to ten per cent of the weight of an unwashed pillow can be made up of dead skin and mites, with a dirty bed having about ten million bedbugs.


It would come as no surprise to most mothers but under 25s were found to have the dirtiest bed sheets with one in 10 admitting to washing theirs only six times a year.
In contrast, house-proud over 55s air their dirty laundry on average three times a month.
Londoners were the worst culprits when it comes to unwashed bedding, the survey of 1,029 men and women from across the UK, found.
The capital was closely followed by Brits in the North East, and the South West, also keeping dirty sheets on their bed for more than a month.
Dr Lisa Ackerley, Environmental Health Practitioner, said unwashed sheets were a breeding ground of disease.
"An unsavoury (amount) of the British population regularly enjoy a bite to eat in bed... with over 500,000 Brits washing their bedding just three times a year.
"It's estimated that 10 per cent of the weight of a two year pillow is comprised of dead skin and dust mites - so it's no surprise that your bed can become a minefield of bacteria, viruses, sweat and hair which can cause or exacerbate asthma.
"Beds are a prime habitat for dust mites."
She said America's Environment Health and Safety Online found a typical used mattress had anywhere from 100,000 to 10 million mites inside.
"Washing your bedding takes time and effort but to reduce levels of unwanted organisms and mites, you need to wash your bed linen at least once a fortnight - preferably once a week," she said.
Jacky Brown, of Sheilas' Wheels home insurance, which conducted the study, said: "With the cold weather making our beds more irresistible than ever, Brits are currently spending more than 49 hours a week sleeping in.
"The bed is one of the most used and expensive items in the home - so it's astonishing that more Brits aren't keeping it clean.
"With many beds being used as an alternative to the kitchen table for a place to breakfast or snack, it is crucial homeowners have accidental damage cover in the event of a major spillage."
She added: "The average person forking out up to £1,020 on their beds, an unpleasant 10 million(4) bed bugs and dust mites sleep alongside you every night."
Regions with the dirtiest bed sheets:
1. London (24 per cent)
2. North East (22 per cent)
3. South West (21 per cent)
4. East Midlands (19 per cent)
= 4. South East (19 per cent)
6. North West (18 per cent)
= 6. West Midlands (18 per cent)
8. Wales (17 per cent)
9. Eastern England (16 per cent)
10. Scotland (15 per cent)
11. Yorkshire (13 per cent)
12. Northern Ireland (8 per cent)
Note: per cent based on those washing their bedding just once a month or less frequently.
Source: Sheilas' Wheels Home Insurance

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Just think, even as you read this, your behind is probably parked on an office chair CRAWLING with dust mites and all sorts of other interesting things.

 

[Laughing Gravy]

That first one really freaked me out.

Great post

 

[Marc1901]

I saw these in the paper the other day , horrible horrible things !

 

[mcshane in the 79th]

I wash my bed sheets once a week

 

[Marc1901]

 

[Acker79]

I love images like that.