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Fruit Fly

Fruit flies are found throughout the world. They are found near fresh or rotting fruits and vegetables, near drains, around garbage and damp organic materials. They are also attracted to sweets within the home and can be found in abundance in summer and fall in gardens where fruits have been allowed to fall and remain on the ground. Areas with accumulated moisture are also an attractant. Females can lay about 500 eggs. Eggs are laid in or on moist organic materials and must remain moist for the eggs to mature. Once the eggs mature, the larva crawls to a drier area of the food source or even out of the food source to pupate.

Fruit flies are usually only about 1/8 inch (3 mm long) including the wings; about one third the size of a common house fly. They key to identification is the bright red eyes. The body is generally light yellow to tan in color. The life cycle of a fruit fly from egg to adult is approximately 10 days.

A quick and thorough cleanup of areas where sweets have been spilled will help in control, but the critical key to control is sanitation by removing not only their food source, but also their breeding ground such as areas where fruits and vegetables are stored, areas with inadequate drainage, and garbage or recycle areas. After addressing these areas of concern, you still find control difficult, Integrated Pest Management may be recommended and we invite you to call Long Pest Control.