Length: Adult 2-4 mm. Larvae up to 5 mm.
Colour: Adult is yellow, tan to black with red eyes. Larvae cream coloured.
Also called the Vinegar fly or Fruit fly, this small, red-eyed fly breeds rapidly in decaying vegetables, fermenting fruit, beer, wine, vinegar, or cider. Improperly rinsed mops, cloths etc., used to clean up kitchen floors, may also act as breeding sites. Composters located too near a doorway may allow breeding flies to enter the structure. The eggs of the Pomace fly are laid on over-ripe fruit, and the larvae feed on the yeasts present in the fermenting process. Larvae are legless, eyeless, and tapered to a point at the head end. Larvae have an extended stalk-like breathing tube at the tail end of the body. Eggs, larvae, and pupae are all found in the decaying medium. The life cycle can be completed in 7 days under ideal conditions. Fruit processing plants, fruit markets and wineries are often seriously infested with these flies when spilled liquid has not been cleaned up.
