Fruit Fly Health Concerns

Fruit Fly Health Concerns

Fruit flies do not feed on blood and do not having biting mouthparts so biting is not an issue. Because fruit flies breed in and carry bacteria there is a risk of contamination. As such, an infestation should be taken care of as quickly as possible.

What Fruit Flies Can and Can’t Do to Your Health

Fruit flies are a hygiene problem more than a medical one. They don’t feed on people or pets, and they are not known to transmit specific diseases the way mosquitoes do. The concern is where they have been before they land on your food.

• Contamination. Fruit flies breed in garbage, drain film, recycling bins and spoiled produce. Bacteria and yeasts can cling to their bodies and legs and be carried to countertops, cut fruit and open drinks.
• Faster spoilage. Females lay eggs on ripe, bruised or fermenting fruit, and the feeding larvae speed up rotting. Produce with soft, sunken spots or visible larvae should be thrown out.
• Accidental swallowing. Swallowing a fruit fly, or a few eggs on a piece of fruit, is unpleasant but not expected to harm a healthy person or pet.

No first aid is needed for contact with fruit flies. Simple habits help: cover cut fruit, drinks and pet food bowls, wash produce before eating, and wipe down counters where flies have been landing.

The stakes are higher where food is prepared for others, such as restaurants, daycares and kitchens serving elderly or immune-compromised people, where flies on food should be dealt with quickly. If someone develops vomiting, diarrhea or fever after eating, see a doctor, since foodborne illness has many possible causes and is worth checking either way. To remove breeding sites, follow the steps on our fruit fly removal page.