Insects are the most abundant living creatures we are ordinarily familiar with. Their significance in both positive and negative terms, insofar as humans are concerned, cannot be over-estimated. While the honey bee is an important pollinator of food crops, nearly 1,000,000 people die each year from malaria transmitted by the mosquito.

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As photographic subjects, insects are generally very approachable although with some (such as wasps) you might want to avoid seeming a threat. Insects are hugely prolific which is probably what encourages a ready willingness to self-sacrifice when a nest is deemed at risk so - beware.

A macro lens that provides good working distance (such as the Nikon 105 mm) is the most useful choice in optics. Consider also the telephoto lens. I have had surprisingly good results with the Sigma 150 - 500 mm which is capable of very close focus for such a unit. For close-up photography such as this, flash is an important tool for sharpening detail and supporting use of higher F-stops to improve depth-of-field.