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My problem is quite simply this. I have a live specimen of a Psychodid fly awaiting photography, but it's proving to be near impossible to secure anything other than a blurred image.

The combination of small size, extremely fast movement, and excitability whenever a light source is used to allow fast shutter speeds, is causing no end of headaches. I don't have a fridge to put the specimen into, which might slow it down, and I am trying to find out what this insect is likely to feed on, in the hope that providing it with a well-localised meal will persuade it to stay put for a while.

Other than trying to tempt it to stay still with food, what tips do others have to offer here?

Bear in mind that I intend to release the specimen back into the wild when I'm finished with it, as I have no chance of identifying it, having precious little knowledge of the group, and no access to any of the usual tools, so killing the specimen is something I'd prefer to avoid if possible.

The frustration is made all the greater, by the fact that for the very brief moments it does stay still long enough for me to appreciate it, it's quite an enchanting little beast to behold!

So, how do I persuade a hyperactive 2mm fly to stay still for my camera?

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Hi Calilasseia,

By putting them in the fridge. Not long enough to kiill them, but long enough to stun them. The difference in time can be huge. Some flies die after a couple of minutes. Other can go in for almost an hour. Some recuperate very quickly, others take more then ten minutes to come fully round. blaauw7, a regular here on d.inf, uses this technique and taught me what I know.
On the Dutch site waarneming.nl you can see more of his works. This is one nice Psychodidae: https://waarneming.nl/waarneming/view/143606545?_popup=1

Kind regards,

Ectemnius