How Long Do Fruit Flies Live
How Long Do Fruit Flies Live
From their voracious appetite and buzzing wings, fruit flies have never been described as “cute.” Still, these tiny insects are fascinating in their own right. They’re one of the most common pests found in homes and businesses because they love ripening or fermenting garbage, which is where most of us keep food (in the trash can!) Unfortunately for homeowners, fruit flies reproduce quickly—a female fly can lay hundreds of eggs in her lifetime and each one will take only a couple days to mature into an adult. So how long do these winged pests live? We’ve got answers to all your questions about these little buggers below!
Fruit Flies are Great Mothers
Fruit flies are exceptional mothers. They will fiercely attack anything that threatens their offspring, including other fruit flies. Fruit flies will even attack each other if they feel threatened by another female’s offspring in the same environment. The fruit fly mother is so dedicated to her young that she will even care for them after they have died! It is said that if a fruit fly mother finds her eggs or larvae dead, she will pick them up with her mouth and carry them around until she can find suitable soil for burial.
The Life Cycle of Fruit Flies
It’s important to understand the life cycle of fruit flies in order to fully understand how long they live. Fruit flies are a type of fly that is often found in homes and other buildings. They breed in rotting fruit, or other decaying organic material. The female fruit fly lays her eggs on ripening fruits or vegetables, which then hatch into larvae (baby fruit flies). The larvae feed on the rotting food for several days before molting again into pupae – basically cocoons for adults – where they develop for about three days until emerging as adults ready to mate and perpetuate their species.
How Long do Fruit Flies Live?
The life cycle of a fruit fly depends on the species and can range anywhere from two weeks to several months. Fruit flies have a short lifespan compared to other insects and flies.
Fruit Fly Behavior
Fruit flies are attracted to the smell of rotting fruit. The adult flies are also attracted to light, especially yellow and red. Red is a color that attracts many insects, including fruit flies. They will come out at night to feed on your fruits and vegetables if you leave them sitting around in the open where they can easily get to them.
Fruit Flies Are Attracted to:
- Fruit – particularly overripe or decaying pieces of fruit
- Light – often found near windows or doors with bright lights
- Smells – if you have some food around that has a strong odor, such as fish or onion, then it will attract these pests as well
Do Fruit Flies Bite?
Fruit flies do not bite humans, nor are they known to carry any diseases that can affect you. As long as you don’t have an intestinal or other internal parasite problem, there’s no reason to worry about fruit flies biting or bothering you.
The lifespan of the fruit fly varies depending on the species.
The lifespan of a fruit fly in the wild is dependent on multiple factors. The environment plays an important role in determining their life expectancy, as well as the type of food available. For example, if there is not enough food present to sustain the population, then they will die off quicker than if there was plenty of food available. Temperature also plays a large role in determining how long a fruit fly lives; if it’s too cold or hot for them to survive comfortably, you may notice that your colony has grown smaller as time goes on. Humidity can affect your colony as well: too much or too little humidity can cause problems like mold growth which could kill off some flies before they reach maturity and reproduce themselves again.
The lifespan of the fruit fly varies depending on the species. The common housefly has a lifespan of only about a month, while other species such as Drosophila melanogaster can live for up to six weeks. The most interesting thing about this insect is its ability to change its color over time and adapt to different environments.