[Photo Contest] Sunny Days

Timothy Joner, office manager of Palmetto Exterminators, Greenville, S.C., was the winner of PCT’s 8th Annual Best Pest Photo Contest.

Joner took top honors (and a cash prize of $500) for his up-close photo of a honey bee (Apis mellifera) atop of a sunflower, which one judge described as having the 3 Cs for a winning photo: color, clarity and composition. "Even the dollops of pollen are visible on the bee," the judge said.

On a trip to his mother’s house in Northern Greenville County, S.C., Joner stopped off at a field and encountered a group of bees that were "having a field day" with sunflower plants. The picture was taken with a Nikon D80 with a Tamron 90 millimeter macro lens.

"I like the fact you can actually tell all the details of the bee, all the way down to its hairs. I also like the contrast between the black and yellow, and that the photo shows the bee in its natural environment — it shows what they are seeing," Joner said.

Joner, who has worked for Palmetto Exterminators for four years, enjoys photography as a hobby and has photographed other insects such as wasps, butterflies, termites and fire ants. "Since joining Palmetto Exterminators in August 2005, I developed a love for photographing insects," he said. "Capturing bugs and pests in their natural habitats provides a great entomology training tool for our technicians and provides an educational opportunity for our customers."

PCT received more than 50 entries in this year’s contest.

Click here to view the winning photo and all finalist photos.