How to observe Mold (Fungus) under the microscope 🔬

[@Buildingscienceacademy]

Fungal microscopist here! Most expert mycologists actually avoid staining fungi because it can make identification more difficult, as color and ornamentation are super important for identification. (However, I know there are many technicians to say to use cotton blue.) If you want a good sample of a wonderful amount of different fungi, take a clear piece of tape and go stick it on a dead log outside. You can use the tape as your cover slip. Usually, mycologists will use lactic acid instead of water between the slide and tape to hydrate the subjects, but water will do if you don't have lactic acid. Most of my work is aero-allergens, so that is fungi and pollen flying around in the air. We use machines to capture air samples that allow particulates to impact onto sticky slides, but you can hold a piece of tape out of your window as you drive lol or keep the tape outside facing windward for an hour or so and look at all the magnificent little particles that are constantly flying through the air.

[@JosephKeenanisme]

IDing by spores is way above my pay grade, I'm just a hobbyist cultivator. The funny thing is since getting my scope a few years back I'll throw successes and failures on a slide just to see what they look like. I was going to say that the spore id must be similar to pollen id... I was thinking more from an academic stance when it came to things like looking at an archeological site.

[@deniscb3244]

Ageing agronomist here; excellent videos Oliver. I was taught by a crop pathologist many moons ago to use sellotape to lift fungal growth off diseased crop and use that as the cover slip. And I always stain my slides with diluted red food dye, and that works for me.

[@bradnelson3595]

I like this hands-on approach as you set a limited, but interesting, task for yourself and then step us through it. I hope you do more of these kinds of videos.

[@letherchick66]

Trypan blue is what is used usually as a stain for fungi and spores

[@killergostblah6536]

Great video. If I may ask, how would you make a permanent spore slide?

[@sforwt]

Entertaining and educational as always. Thanks Oliver. Hoping for more livestreams!!

[@JosephKeenanisme]

I cultivate gourmet mushrooms a few times over the summer. Even when I get some contamination (which sucks) it at least gives me a chance to pull out the scope and take a few pictures just for fun. There are some videos out there about growing a biopsy from a store bought mushroom on cardboard (cheap and easy). You don't need any special equipment, like a pressure cooker. Mycology networks can be pretty interesting to look at under a microscope. I'm not an expert! With the mushroom aspect of mycology identifying a species can be done by the spores. It's above my pay grade but it gets into size, shape, color, and a bunch of other microscopy aspects.

[@valeryebostan8150]

Thank you for the great videos! Could it be possible to put into video descriptions some technical parameters for the captures and also the model ids of used microscopes? This could help us to get an idea how to get to similar results. Thanks again!

[@Virtella.]

Oooooh excellent!!! My microscope will be here on the 6th and I can't wait to look at fungus!!!

[@Stetsonhatman]

Rookie Microscopist here. I had not considered Methyl Blue for staining, it makes the fruiting bodies stand out.

[@Kammerliteratur]

cotton blue is better for staining fungi. or congo red.

[@Buildingscienceacademy]

@@Kammerliteratur Methyl Blue and Cotton Blue are the same thing, depending on your region, the nomenclature is different.

[@Kammerliteratur]

@@Buildingscienceacademy yes, you're right, sorry

[@BritishBeachcomber]

I'm sure you know this Oliver, but the best way to observe micro fungi is to grow it on the edges of a thin agar square with a cover slip on top. Then remove the cover slip after a few days and place it on a slide on a drop of Lactophenol cotton blue stain. It makes a beautiful thin sample without distorting the fungi.

[@koidotjpeg9944]

This was very helpful in viewing the mold that grew on some salmon I forgot about... for 2 months

[@danzimmerman3831]

01:30 I think I have some kind of spores on me and inside fuzzy and scratchy on skin and another type of black oily stuff that is shiny under magnifying

[@eph51912]

this stuff is so neat to see! thank you for sharing this!

[@Kammerliteratur]

as a stain for funi i prefer cotton blue or congo red to methylene blue. ah, and those are not fruiting bodies, those are conidiophores. fruiting bodies produce sexual spores. but those are conidia. most molds only exist in anamorphic form.

[@Sudique1]

Thank you! This video was so cool!

[@osovagabundo1]

This is great. I’m checking this out and maybe choosing a microscope this weekend

[@Koolik-art]

excellent video as always!!! - is it generally safe to do this with pretty much all mold/bacteria/fungus on food? i thought i had read somewhere to avoid putting bacteria under a microscope - i imagine washing my hands, and cleaning the microscope is alcohol would also be good after imaging fungus too right?

[@bens4446]

So what are the tiny moving specs? I see these super tiny moving specs in my pond water samples. They're about 1/50 the size of a paramecium or rotifer and move in straight lines pretty fast.

[@MrYorickJenkins]

Same here let me know if you find out what they are Thanks

[@Buildingscienceacademy]

The tiny oval (slightly hyaline) structures are the spores of the mold, if that is what you are referring to.

[@Rexvideowow]

Would love to see mold vs chlorine. There doesn't seem to be any youtube videos of it. We're able to see bacteria explode from it, but I'm wondering if mold does the same. There are, however, a ton of videos of fungicide sellers trying to convince people to buy their product and not use chlorine. "Is it lies or truth?" I'm wondering.

[@gialana850]

How would you prep a slide to look at cuvularia black mold and which type microscope is best to identify mold spores? I see the stain you’re using but from what I’ve heard the wet prep for mold should be with KOH . Btw, is there a microscope that can now do aa read out without a human identifying it such as A I.? I recently saw the Vet get A.I. results from an xray.

[@csyumz]

Can you do this with a spore trap gel cassette for the class please?

[@quintonwilson8565]

Useful video. Thanks!

[@deekshasingh8154]

sir how do you colour your videos? is it something you do while editing or you do it while making samples or use filters?

[@alexjinks6172]

Excellent ... kind regards Alex

[@tomascrespogarcia1969]

What magnification levels are used in this video?

[@CreativeCat333]

What camera do you use?

[@08m]

lol *seems to struggle picking up cover but still doesn't get a fingerprint on it, this is definitely some kind of magic 😀

[@mnyee1995]

Hi, I just found your channel recently as I'm researching some microscope to buy my 5yrs son who's interested to see some cells, good content btw. I have a question, I've narrowed down my choice for microscope to Omax 40x-2000x. For a beginner, is it better to get a New binocular (82ES) or Open Box trinocular (83ES) when they're about the same price. This is my first time buying microscope and really need expert opinion like you. Thank you!

[@danielboomers]

what microscope u using here?

[@allanzephyrl.taguba1871]

Mr. Microbehunter, what is that glass block where you placed water called?

[@MicrobehunterMicroscopy]

Block dish. You can also use small petri dishes, they are easier to get.

[@treymurphy6398]

Those are bubbles not bacteria?

[@blittleing]

Cool! I had fun

[@Microscopy1]

Always nice....

[@radiantrandymu9400]

I ended up here after watching the last of us

[@nadeembhat5285]

EWW. THAT IS MOLDY!

[@TurboBMRProjectLove]

take a shot anytime he says yeah?