[Photo Contest] Look What I Found

Marc Terry, a salesman at Peachtree Pest Control, Norcross, Ga., was announced as the winner of PCT’s 10th annual Best Pest Photo Contest. Terry won this year’s contest with a flower crab spider photo.

Terry, a 16-year industry professional, took the photo at the home of his mother, Carol Terry, in north Georgia. “She has a pond out back and I was [photographing] fish when I saw this spider. I had never seen one quite like it so I started taking pictures. There was a lot of sunlight that day so I had to use a higher F stop in order to achieve the dark background.”

Terry said he took the photo to the Peachtree corporate office and company entomologist Terry Bowen confirmed it was a flower crab spider. “I went online and looked at several crab spider photos and didn’t see one with the same color combination, which is one of the things I liked about this photo. I also liked the composition, lighting and clarity of the photo.”

In addition to leading Peachtree’s sales department, Terry is the company’s go-to photographer for insect photos and company events. He enjoys wildlife photography, especially photographing black bears.

Terry wins $500 for taking first place. PCT received more than 70 entries in this year’s contest. A panel of judges reviewed all photos and determined this year’s winner and finalists. The photos on the following pages are of the winner and several finalists. See the “online extras” section of the PCT website to view additional photos.

This periodic cicada was photographed in north central Georgia. The cicadas were abundant last spring and the noise was almost deafening in the woods, said photographer Dennis Judy. “I captured this image at the end of a turkey hunting expedition on May 14, 2011. The colors in this creature were amazing,” he said.

Photographer: Dennis Judy, Allgood Pest Solutions, Duluth, Ga.

This photo of two Japanese beetles mating was taken in Missouri. Photographer Michael Woodring used a Canon PowerShot SD1300IS Digital ELPH 12.1 mega pixels.

Photographer: Michael Woodring, Bug Zero, Springfield, Mo.

The pupal stage of the mosquito, Mimomyia elegans. The larvae stages of this species live in water that is dense in filamentous algae. Therefore, it is difficult for the pupa to swim to the surface to breathe. To overcome this issue, the species has evolved long trumpets (the elongated structures on the left), which can penetrate through the algal mats to reach the water surface.

Photographer: Stephen Doggett, Dept. of Medical  Ent. at Westmead Hospital, Sydney, Australia

This bald-faced hornet photo was taken by Miranda Sherman in the American Pest lab, Fulton, Md. The bald-faced hornet chewed its way out of the cell in little more than an hour. The nest itself was taken from a client’s home in Beltsville, Md., by one of the company’s technicians and was brought into the office for observation.

Photographer: Miranda Sherman, American Pest, Fulton, Md.

These black swallowtail larvae, Papilio polyxenes, were found among dozens feeding on fennel in photographer Stoy Hedges’ garden. The photos were taken with a Canon 40D using a 105 mm macro lens and twin ring flash.

Photographer: Stoy Hedges, Terminix International, Memphis, Tenn.

Photographer Pete Elbert describes how he was able to snap this wheel bug photo. “It was late one afternoon (almost evening) when I found this insect sitting stealthfully on the hydrangea at the front of the house. It was starting to get dark and my chances for a good picture were quickly ticking away. I only got two pictures before this insect decided to move on. It is one of the few times that I have been able to get a good shot with just two clicks of the shutter.”

Photographer: Pete Elbert, Residex/Turfgrass, Jacksonville, Fla.

An aphid family on the stem of a Black-eyed Susan. This photo was taken in Fort Smith, Ark.

Photographer: Jeff Bullman, Extermco Pest Control, Fort Smith, Ark.

This photo of a bee in motion was taken in the summer of 2011 while the bee was approaching the bloom spikes on photographer Matthew White’s windmill palm trees in his front yard. White took about 60 shots to get four or five that turned out well. “This is one of the best photos I’ve taken,” he said.

Photographer: Matthew White, The Killers, Portland, Ore.

This is a picture of a Gasteracantha cancriformis. “It has several common names, including crab spider, smiley face spider and spiny backed orbweaver (most common in my experience),” said photographer Josh Shoemaker.

Photographer: Josh Shoemaker, Bayer, Carlsbad, Calif.

This butterfly photo was taken by 11-year-old Ethan Shoemaker while he and his family were on a trip to Los Angeles. Ethan is the son of Bayer’s Josh Shoemaker.

Photographer: Ethan Shoemaker, Carlsbad, Calif.

More photos
Visit the Online Extra extras section of the PCT Online homepage to view additional entries in this year’s contest.