photo by Timothy Joner

Pest Control Technology magazine announced the winner of the 8th

annual Best Pest Photo Contest: Timothy Joner, office manager of

Palmetto Exterminators, Greenville, S.C.

Joner takes 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 describes as having the 3

Cs for winning: color, clarity and composition.

On a trip to his

mother's house in Northern Greenville County South Carolina, 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 by a Nikon

D80 with a Tamron 90 mllimeter macro lens.

"I like the fact the

picture actually tells 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 the past four years, does 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."