Fruit flies lay eggs in ripening fruit. Their worm-like larvae feed on the yeasts that result from the fermenting process inside the fruits.

Adult fruit flies eat by ejecting saliva on to food to digest it, and then suck up the resulting liquid through specialized mouthparts.

Fruits flies reproduce extremely quickly.  Their eggs hatch into larvae after only 12 hours. After hatching and pupating, they reach adulthood after about 4 days, and females can start breeding after only two days.

As their name suggests, fruits flies are primarily attracted to fruit. However, they actually feed on the yeasts that are created in the fermentation process as fruits ripen and decay.

Fruit flies will be attracted to any sort of decaying organic matter, including fruits, vegetables and other scraps in around garbage bins. 

Note that the organic matter doesn’t need to be completely rotten to attract fruit flies. They will still hang around fruit that looks fine for human consumption.

Fruit flies don’t spontaneously appear out of fruit. They follow the smell of fruits and lay their eggs inside them. Their larvae then hatch with an instant source of food.

The way fruit flies feed and lay eggs can contaminate the fruits and vegetables they choose to invade. They can leave behind microorganisms that can cause gastrointestinal illness.

Fruit flies can be a serious threat to grocery stores, restaurants and fruit orchards in Canada. Their activity can ruin large amounts of produce in a very short time.

Fruit flies reproduce rapidly and can be difficult to eliminate completely with do-it-yourself traps. If you are struggling with a fruit fly infestation, give us a call and we’ll help you get rid of it safely and effectively.