Bug of the Month The Fruit Fly Drosophila Melanogaster
Its tropical fruit season so that means it is fruit fly season as well.
As is implied by their name, fruit flies most commonly feed on fruit and other sugary substances. Fruit flies are also attracted to the fermenting sugars.
What Are Fruit Flies?
The tiny, yellowish, red-eyed insects are part of a large family of small flies that has about 3,000 species. Unlike houseflies, which may spread disease, fruit flies are harmless. They can live and breed in drains and garbage cans, and on damp mops and rags. Spilled juice under the refrigerator or a rotten potato at the bottom of a bin can be a happy home for the fruit fly’s larvae.
Fruit flies lay their eggs near the surface of your ripe fruit—and they can lay up to 500 eggs at a time! About 30 hours later, tiny larvae emerge and feed on the fruit, eventually turning into pupae. A week later, they are ready to take to the air.
Life Cycle of a Fruit Fly
Stages of the life cycle
There are four stages to the life cycle of fruit flies, these are: eggs, larvae (maggots), pupae and adults. A brief description of each of the stages of the life cycle of fruit fly is provided below.
Eggs
The female adult fly lays eggs (1-20) into the maturing and ripening fruit of the host plant. The eggs hatch into larvae inside the fruit after a few days (2-4 days). Note that at this stage of the life cycle you are unlikely to be able to recognise the presence of fruit fly eggs in your fruit as the eggs are very small. During its lifetime, a female fruit fly may lay 400 eggs or more.
Larvae
The hatching larvae (maggots) feed inside the fruit and are accompanied by various bacteria that are introduced when the female fly lays its eggs. The activity of the maggots and the bacteria causes the fruit to rot internally and often affected fruit will prematurely fall from the free. The larval stage is the most likely stage that you would recognise the presence of fruit fly in your fruit if you cut it open.
Stages of the life cycle
Pupae
As the fruit ripens and rots, it falls to the ground. Fully mature larvae leave the fruit and burrow into the soil to pupate. In the soil, larvae become inactive and change into oval shaped, light to dark brown, hard pupae. Inside the pupal case, which is the cocoon or chrysalis formed by butterflies, the adult fly develops. At this stage you are unlikely to recognise the presence of fruit fly pupae in the ground.
Adult
The adult flies may emerge from the pupae in as little as seven days during the summer, or after several months over winter. The adult fly looks for the nourishment it needs to reach maturity, breed, and lay eggs in new season crops. At this stage of the life cycle you may be able to recognise adult flies landing on or sheltering amongst vegetation or landing on fruit.
Behaviour of fruit flies
Fruit fly numbers tend to increase, usually in spring, when temperatures are warm and there is continued availability of suitable host plants. Under good conditions, fruit flies develop from eggs to adults within four to five weeks.
FUNGUS GNATS VS FRUIT FLIES
Why should you care about fungus gnats vs fruit flies? Because you need to understand the difference in order to effectively get rid of them, and keep them from coming back. So in this post, I will show you exactly how to tell which one you have, and give you tips for eliminating them.
One of the most common questions “How do I get rid of fruit flies around houseplants well, my first answer to this question is… those are not fruit flies, they are fungus gnats! Many, many people confuse these two common indoor pests.
Well they are not the same. But it is super important to understand their differences in order to eliminate them for good! So below I will clear up the confusion, and show you exactly how to tell the difference between fungus gnats vs fruit flies.
Though they look similar (and are equally annoying), fruit flies and fungus gnats are not the same type of bug. Heck, they’re not even related!
Each one has its own unique lifecycle, and completely separate feeding habits.
Right now, you may be thinking “Who cares what these annoying gnats are, I just want them gone!!”. But it is important to understand the difference between them in order to fight an infestation. So first let’s talk about how to identify which one you have…
FUNGUS GNAT IDENTIFICATION: These tiny flying bugs (also called soil gnats) live and breed in the potting soil of indoor plants. So, if you see little black gnats flying around your houseplants, or crawling around in the soil, then those are fungus gnats.
FRUIT FLY IDENTIFICATION: If you see little flying bugs in your kitchen, around a bowl of fruit, or in the garbage, then you can be sure that those are fruit flies. Fruit flies are attracted to ripening, rotting, or fermenting fruits and liquids, and are usually found in the kitchen. They feed on and lay their eggs in ripe or rotting fruit, and have no interest in houseplants.
WHERE DID THEY COME FROM?
The first thing you should do when you find either of these pesky bugs in your house is to figure out where they are coming from in the first place. Since they are both so small, they can easily get into the house through window screens or open doors. However, there are a few other very common ways they can get inside…
Fungus gnats – Most of the time they get into the house either in the soil of a new houseplant, from ones that spent the summer outside, or from a contaminated bag of potting soil.
Fruit flies – Usually get into your house from either the produce you purchase at the grocery store, or on fresh crops you bring in from the garden, especially if it was starting to get a bit overripe. (In fact, fruit flies actually prefer wine and beer to fruit because they like food that has fermented.)
Fruit Fly Traps
Fruit Fly traps are the most effective way to take care of this pest. There are a variety on the market and many home-made receipts for making bait
If you are feeling in DIY mood here is a simple recipe Apple Cider Vinegar and Dish Soap Trap: Fill a small bowl with apple cider vinegar and 2 drops liquid dish soap. Mix well and leave on the counter (away from pets). Fruit flies will be drawn to the bowl and meet their demise.
My personal; recommendation is use a trap that is self contained and can not be spilled by children or pets. No vinegar smell, no mess, no unsightly corpses …
Check out the Natural Catch Fruit fly trap
https://naturalinsectcontrol.com/product/natural-catch-fruit-fly-traps/
How keep Fruit Flies from Coming Back
Eliminate fruit fly breeding grounds the key to preventing fruit flies is to not attract them in the first place, so keeping your kitchen and dining area clean and free of potential fruit fly breeding grounds will go a long way in stopping an infestation before it begins. Here are some tips:
Refrigerate or throw away ripened or damaged fruit instead of leaving it out where the fruit flies can access it. Check it regularly for blemishes or rot, too.
Make sure you take out the garbage regularly, and consider putting a secure-fitting lid on your trash can.
Completely clean up any spilled fruit juice, beer, or wine, and do not leave half-empty drinks out.
Be sure to clean your drains regularly, as flies can live there if grime builds up.
