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Nothing draws a crowd of fruit flies like an overripe tomato or strawberry, because decaying fruit is a fruit fly’s ideal egg-laying site. After hatching, fruit fly grubs spend three or four days feeding on the decaying fruit before they mature into breeding adults, and the cycle begins again.
These 1/4″ flies are rarely a problem in gardens except in warm-winter areas, and even indoors they are more of an annoyance than a serious pest. In most cases, fruit flies should be considered beneficial insects. The decaying matter they eat might otherwise turn into a source of fungal or bacterial infection or attract more undesirable pests, such as mice or rats. Fruit flies are found throughout North America.
Last updated: 3/6/19
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