Fruit Fly (Vinegar Fly)

Found worldwide in association with human dwellings, kitchens, grocery stores, and agricultural areas with rotting vegetation.

Primarily feeds on yeast growing on fermenting organic matter and overripe or rotting fruits and vegetables.

Active year-round indoors; they are attracted to the smell of fermentation. Females lay eggs on moist organic material, and the life cycle can be completed in as little as 8 to 10 days.

They do not bite or sting but are significant nuisance pests and can mechanically transport bacteria to food surfaces. In ecosystems, they aid in decomposition; in science, they are vital model organisms for genetic research.