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Finding a huge beetle in an unexpected place is bad enough, but finding one with mechanical parts? That’s a practical joke for the ages.

For Arizona-based artist Lindsey Bessanson such creations are no joke, rather the end result of a long appreciation for the beauty of creepy-crawly creatures.

While Lindsey started off making insect jewelry in 2003, over the years she’s perfected a unique routine to create her robo-bugs. She first got the idea when she realized some insects were just too beautiful to be cast in gold or silver for jewelry. So now, she takes dried, dead insects and puts them through a humidifier for a couple of days. With this, the legs and wings become more flexible, allowing her to fan them out and position them according to her liking. At this stage she is able to take the insect apart, as though it were a toy. She then strengthens all the joints with metal and puts everything back together again. The completed insect is pinned to a piece of Styrofoam so it can harden into the desired position. It takes her about two weeks to complete an insect sculpture.

Perhaps not surprisingly, considering her Arizona residence, her favorite specimens to work with are tarantulas and scorpions, but she has found other interesting bugs via eBay and colleagues who have begun to bring her beautiful specimens they find.

If the military is looking to give their micro aerial vehicles a steampunk makeover, they’ll know exactly who to consult.

Full story at Oddity Central via Neatorama.

Bug art.