Slater Macro!

I have spent all day doing my Self Assessment tax form:-(  It’s cold and dour outside and so today’s blip is an indoor macro. I found this slater in my kitchen this afternoon and decided it would make a good subject to experiment with my macro lens. I was trying to get his/her face in focus with a shallow depth of field blurring the rest of their body.
The official name is woodlouse and their presence can indicate dampness problems.  However, they are not generally regarded as a serious household pest as they don’t spread disease and don’t damage sound wood or structures. A female woodlouse will keep  fertilised eggs in a marsupium on the underside of her body until they hatch into small, white offspring. The mother then appears to "give birth" to her offspring. Females are also capable of reproducing asexually.

Despite being crustaceans like lobsters or crabs, woodlice are said to have an unpleasant taste similar to strong urine. They are very nutricious and as long as they are cooked they are perfectly safe. An advantage of woodlice over slugs or snails is that they can be eaten immediately after collection, whereas with slugs and snails you need to put them in a plastic bag for about 24 hours so that their gut empties.  Woodlice you just put straight into boiling water and they are ready to eat. However, I don’t think I will be sampling this dish never mind how tasty some people may find it! You can find more on cooking them HERE