The beasts lurking in YOUR home: From a spider's hairy mandibles to an earwig's pincers, scary details of bugs captured in close up

  • Buglife charity shared 10 common bugs living in people's homes, including earwigs, house spiders and lacewings 
  • London-based photographer Mikael Buck captured them on camera using a macro lens to record details
  • Results include images of tiny creatures to make them look like terrifying beasts or even aliens 

It may not be a pleasant thought, but we share our homes with millions of creepy crawlies from scuttling spiders to barely visible dust mites.

Now these unwelcome guests have been captured on camera in extreme close up, revealing them in all their gruesome detail.

They include a scary snap of a house spider's hairy mandibles and a magnified image of an armoured woodlouse, which could be lurking in any damp patches in your bathroom.

Microbeasts have been captured on camera in a series of bright images that show the tiniest of details. They include a scary snap of a house spider’s hairy mandibles and a close-up of an armoured woodlouse, which could be lurking in any damp patches in your bathroom

Microbeasts have been captured on camera in a series of bright images that show the tiniest of details. They include a scary snap of a house spider's hairy mandibles and a close-up of an armoured woodlouse, which could be lurking in any damp patches in your bathroom

London-based photographer Mikael Buck took the incredible photos using a Sony 27R II camera with a 90mm macro lens and macro filter.

His subjects were some of the 10 most common bugs in homes in west Europe, according to conservation charity, Buglife. 

London-based photographer Mikael Buck took the incredible photos using a Sony 27R II camera with a 90mm macro lens and macro filter. This image shows the much-loved Seven-spot ladybird

London-based photographer Mikael Buck took the incredible photos using a Sony 27R II camera with a 90mm macro lens and macro filter. This image shows the much-loved Seven-spot ladybird

His subjects were some of the 10 most common bugs in homes in west Europe, according to conservation charity, Buglife. This image shows a woodlouse and its armour-plated back

His subjects were some of the 10 most common bugs in homes in west Europe, according to conservation charity, Buglife. This image shows a woodlouse and its armour-plated back

THE 10 COMMON HOUSEHOLD BUGS

House spider (Tegenaria species)

European earwig (Forficula auricularia)

Red admiral (Vanessa atalanta)

Common green lacewing (Chrysoperla carnea)

Bluebottle fly (Calliphora vomitoria)

Common clothes moth (Tineola bisselliella)

Seven-spot ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata)

Silverfish (Lepisma saccharina)

Common woodlouse (Oniscus asellus)

Daddy long-legs spider (Pholcus phalangioides)

These include the house spider, European earwig, red admiral moth, common green lacewing, bluebottle fly, common cloths moth, seven-spot ladybird, silverfish, common woodlice and the daddy long-legs spider.

The charity says that there are roughly 10 species of spider living in most homes, and soon homeowners may invite another 25,000 bugs into their house, because this many live on a Christmas tree.

'Bugs and insects are often considered vermin or pests and are not recognised for the hugely important ecological role they play,' said Vanessa Amaral-Rogers, Conservation Campaigns Officer at Buglife.

'Sony's 'Hidden World of Bugs and Insects' photo series allows us to get up close and personal with the almost alien faces that can't be seen by the naked eye.

'The amazing detail that is captured in the picture series reveals how magnificent and beautiful these common bugs and insects truly are, instead of simply seeing them as creepy-crawlies.'

She said that the bugs captured on cameras are some of the most common species found in homes over the winter months.

'The colder season can be a particularly tough on bugs and insects as they are reliant on the heat of the sun for their daily activity. As a result, it's not uncommon to see them moving indoors. 

‘Bugs and insects are often considered vermin or pests and are not recognised for the hugely important ecological role they play,’ said Vanessa Amaral-Rogers, Conservation Campaigns Officer at Buglife. This image may look like a dinosaur but shows a woodlouse

'Bugs and insects are often considered vermin or pests and are not recognised for the hugely important ecological role they play,' said Vanessa Amaral-Rogers, Conservation Campaigns Officer at Buglife. This image may look like a dinosaur but shows a woodlouse

‘The amazing detail that is captured in the picture series reveals how magnificent and beautiful these common bugs and insects truly are, instead of simply seeing them as creepy-crawlies,’ she said. A close-up of an earwig is shown. The name 'earwig' comes from the appearance of the hindwings, which are unique and distinctive among insects, and resemble a human ear when unfolded

'The amazing detail that is captured in the picture series reveals how magnificent and beautiful these common bugs and insects truly are, instead of simply seeing them as creepy-crawlies,' she said. A close-up of an earwig is shown. The name 'earwig' comes from the appearance of the hindwings, which are unique and distinctive among insects, and resemble a human ear when unfolded

The common green lacewing (pictured) feeds on nectar, pollen and aphid honeydew as an adult, but larvae are active predators and feed on aphids and other small insects. The creature's delicate wings and bulbous compound eyes are easily visible

The common green lacewing (pictured) feeds on nectar, pollen and aphid honeydew as an adult, but larvae are active predators and feed on aphids and other small insects. The creature's delicate wings and bulbous compound eyes are easily visible

'Some can even be found hibernating in the quieter parts of the house like the attic or the porch.

'For instance, ladybirds can often number in the thousands when they find spaces to hibernate in.'

The photographs were taken using a new Sony camera intended for professionals and keen amateurs.

The camera's high resolution capabilities, paired with the incredible sharpness of the macro lens highlight the intricacies and complexities of the tiny denizens of our houses and flats, revealing an almost 'alien' look to the insects.

It has a 42.4-megapixel sensor output to capture details usually missed by the naked eye, such as intricate details on the wings of flies, the woodlouse's otherworldly compound eyes and the earwig's fearsome pincers.

The photographs were taken using a new Sony camera intended for professionals and keen amateurs. A 90mm macro lens and macro filter was also used to capture details such as the fur on this ladybird's legs and pore on its elytra (wing covering)

The photographs were taken using a new Sony camera intended for professionals and keen amateurs. A 90mm macro lens and macro filter was also used to capture details such as the fur on this ladybird's legs and pore on its elytra (wing covering)

House spiders of the genus Tegenaria are fast-running brownish funnel-web weavers that occupy much of the Northern Hemisphere except for Japan and Indonesia. The largest species is the Cardinal spider, which can reach just under once inch (2cm) in body size. A close-up of a common house spider is shown above, including the sensitive hairs on its legs

House spiders of the genus Tegenaria are fast-running brownish funnel-web weavers that occupy much of the Northern Hemisphere except for Japan and Indonesia. The largest species is the Cardinal spider, which can reach just under once inch (2cm) in body size. A close-up of a common house spider is shown above, including the sensitive hairs on its legs

'The colder season can be a particularly tough on bugs and insects as they are reliant on the heat of the sun for their daily activity. As a result, it’s not uncommon to see them moving indoors,' Amaral-Rogers said. A scary-looking woodlouse is shown

'The colder season can be a particularly tough on bugs and insects as they are reliant on the heat of the sun for their daily activity. As a result, it's not uncommon to see them moving indoors,' Amaral-Rogers said. A scary-looking woodlouse is shown

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