Fruit fly

Natural Habitat

Widely distributed worldwide and commonly found in homes, restaurants, grocery stores, and other locations with fermenting organic matter like ripening fruit and vegetables.

Diet & Feeding

They feed on decaying organic materials, particularly fermenting fruit and vegetables, and the yeast and fungi associated with this decomposition.

Behavior Patterns

Fruit flies are known for their rapid reproduction. Females can lay hundreds of eggs in their short life span, often in moist, fermenting organic material. The life cycle from egg to adult can take about 8 to 10 days.

Risks & Benefits

Fruit flies are primarily a nuisance. While they don't bite or sting, they can potentially contaminate food with bacteria and other pathogens. In scientific research, they are highly beneficial as a model organism in genetics, physiology, and developmental biology.

Identified on: 12/27/2025