Where Do Fruit Flies Lay Eggs?

Over 2,000 species of flies exist in North America alone. These pesky insects are found almost everywhere, including around your fruit bowl. Combined with their fast reproduction rates, fruit flies pose a severe threat to the consumers of many foods like fruits and vegetables.

Fruit flies lay eggs in all sorts of rotting fruits and vegetables

They are attracted to fermenting foods, so it’s not surprising that they’ll lay their eggs in the rottenest piece of fruit you have. But if you’ve seen them laying eggs on your fresh fruits and vegetables, then you may be wondering why.

Fruit Flies Vs Fruit Fly Larvae

If you find maggots or larvae on your fruit, these are not fruit flies. They don’t have maggots or larvae; they only have eggs. The larvae of other insects do look similar to fruit fly larvae, but it’s easy enough to tell the difference between them:

Fruit fly larvae have legless bodies with tiny hairs covering their bodies; they’re usually creamy white or yellowish in color (depending on the species). Maggots are legless too, but they’re usually more slender than fruit fly larvae and are more translucent than white or yellowish colored; they also have eyespots that aren’t present on fruit fly larva.

You can’t see the eggs, but if you look closely, you can see brown or purple stains.

Fruit flies lay eggs in moist, sugary foods. The eggs are tiny and translucent, so you can’t see them without a magnifying glass. If you find brown or purple stains on your fruit or vegetables, that’s a good sign that you’re dealing with fruit flies.

You can also look for small black specks on the surface of your produce. These are the droppings from adult fruit flies.

A good way to check for eggs is to sprinkle vinegar on top of suspect fruits or vegetables and wait about 10 minutes before rinsing them off. The vinegar will dissolve any eggshells and reveal any leftover eggs that might be hiding underneath.

They are attracted to the sweet smell of your fruit.

If you want to get rid of the fruit flies, you’ll need to get rid of the food source first. Then, you need to use a fruit fly trap. There are both homemade and professional fruit fly trap options available. Otherwise, they will just keep coming back.

If you have a lot of fruit flies in your home, then there is obviously an overabundance of food for them. You should try and remove any excess fruits or vegetables from your kitchen and clean up any that have already been eaten by the fruit flies. Then make sure that all food is tightly sealed or placed in closed containers when not being used so that no more flies can lay eggs on it. A fruit fly trap is a must!