I need to try to identify spider silk from other materials (soil, insect carcass, plant materials) and would like to find a stain or dye that would help visualize the spider silk. If it could be visualized it could then be identified from dirt and other biological materials. Please feel free to suggest any type of stain that would help identify spider silk. Thanks!
A good technique that photographers use to achieve good pictures of spiderwebs is sprinkling the spiderweb with white talcum powder to have more contrast against a black background.
Thanks Luis Miguel Constantino for the suggestion. I believe that corn starch is also supposed to work well for that kind of photography. The problem I have is trying to identify silk that is mixed in with soil/dirt and if possible I would like to have a way to help visualize the silk (ie. to separate it from mycelial strands).
But can't you stain the fungal mycelium with basic/common dyes and the strands which not be stained will be the silk?
Interesting idea Abhijeet Singh so will try, but wonder if there are other fiber like materials that will still make it difficult to distinguish.
Robert John Wolff
May be try to stain and characterize silk fibers with fungal stain, and note the characteristics how much stain it absorbs, branching pattern or structure like crust and core, or any other specific details. I don't think other kind of fibers will share all the characteristics of silk. Since, I haven't studies silk, I can't really say how's and what's, but may be wort a try. But fungal mycelium will have branching pattern and spetum, which will surely be distinguished.
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