Nanoliter Hemolymph Sampling and Analysis of Individual Adult <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i>

The fruit fly (<i>Drosophila melanogaster</i>) is an extensively used and powerful, genetic model organism. However, chemical studies using individual flies have been limited by the animal’s small size. Introduced here is a method to sample nanoliter hemolymph volumes from individual adult fruit-flies for chemical analysis. The technique results in an ability to distinguish hemolymph chemical variations with developmental stage, fly sex, and sampling conditions. Also presented is the means for two-point monitoring of hemolymph composition for individual flies