This page has some macro photographs of a Brown Recluse spider up close. The Brown Recluse is consider harmful to humans. It rarely will kill a human but its venom causes the flesh to die and may takes months to years to heal fully. I took these macro photographs with a Canon 5D Mark II camera body and a Canon MP-E 65mm 1x-5x lens.

Bed bugs are tiny little creature that sucks blood off their human prey. Often dismissed as a nuisance, bed bugs are now a serious problem both at home, in the offices and luxury establishments.

Why the infestation? There are two reasons for the increase in the number of bed bugs found in homes and other establishments recently. One of them is the increase in the number travelers and immigrants who stay in motels and unknowingly bring these insects along with them back home.

Unlike the struggling Mets and Knicks, bed bugs have again made headlines in New York City. In 2004, bed bug violations in New York City totaled 377 in 2004, up sharply from only two in 2002 and 16 in 2003. Reports of bed bug infestations continuously come from different parts of the US but those coming from New York are seemingly the most disturbing.