Answer: the fruit fly stork

written by: JDSchein | Thursday, November 13th, 2008 | Uncategorized

Question: Where do fruit flies come from?

I pose this question because I go through fruit fly spells every now and then, ok, every time I fall behind a week (or two) in cleaning my kitchen. The mystery is that shortly after my kitchen is thoroughly cleaned, I’m talkin’ Mr. Cleaning the counters and eventually the floors, the little red-eyed beasts disappear! I understand that part, so please don’t tell me what I know. In my search for a serious answer, not something about the mythical fruit fly stork (which would probably just eat the flies anyway), I come to The Auburn Plainsman Blogs. Please help.

My theory is that they are born from the fruits we eat. Sorry to gross you out, but I can only see that we buy them and they naturally hatch when the fruits begin to go bad.

Someone please solve this mystery!

1 Comment to Answer: the fruit fly stork

Natalie Wade
November 14, 2008

Oh, JD. Here’s a Wikipedia answer:
Females lay some 400 eggs, about five at a time, into rotting fruit or other suitable material such as decaying mushrooms and sap fluxes. The eggs, which are about 0.5 millimetres long, hatch after 12–15 hours. The resulting larvae grow for about 4 days while molting twice, at about 24 and 48 hours after eclosion. During this time, they feed on the microorganisms that decompose the fruit, as well as on the sugar of the fruit itself. Then the larvae encapsulate in the puparium and undergo a four-day-long metamorphosis, after which the adults emerge.

Just start throwing out the old fruit.

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