Fruit Fly

Found globally, especially in kitchens, grocery stores, and food processing facilities near fermenting organic matter.

Feed on rotting, fermenting fruit and vegetables, and the yeast that grows on these items.

Active year-round indoors; drawn to moisture and sugars. They have a very rapid life cycle, maturing from egg to adult in about 8-10 days.

They are nuisance pests that can contaminate food with bacteria and pathogens. In science, they are highly beneficial as a primary model organism for genetic research.