Fruit Fly

Worldwide distribution, frequently found near ripening or decaying fruit, garbage, and damp organic matter.

Primarily feeds on yeast found on fermenting or rotting sugary organic material like fruit and vegetables.

Drawn to the smell of fermentation; they have extremely rapid life cycles (egg to adult in 8-10 days) and are most active during the day.

Primarily a nuisance pest in homes and kitchens; however, they are invaluable to science as a model organism for genetics and biological research.