How scientists tracked flies
By Marsha Walton
CNN
(CNN) -- Antler flies spend their lives within the same few square meters, feeding and mating during the day on a moose or a deer antler, sleeping at night in nearby vegetation.
That solves one problem for the scientists studying them; they don't have to chase the insects very far. But how do you "tag" a fly that's just 2-3 millimeters long?
Russell Bonduriansky developed a technique for capturing, marking, and measuring these tiny live flies without injuring them. Under a microscope, he and his colleagues hand painted identification codes on their backs, using white enamel paint and a microscopic paintbrush.
"You can actually see these codes from about 20 or 30 centimeters (about eight to 12 inches)," said Bonduriansky.
Recording success
Those codes enabled the scientists to follow the marked flies and record their mating success and life spans.
Bonduriansky said he recognized differences, even "personalities" during the two-and-a-half-month study. Some flies would always hang out on certain parts of the antler. Others were extremely aggressive.
So how do flies compare to other animals studied?
"It might be easier to observe a bear for instance, but then it might leave the area for a couple of weeks. It also might attack me," he laughed.
