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SECTION 3 - FRUIT FLIES (DROSOPHILA)
Intoduction
Fruit flies compromise several species of the genus Drosophila (family Drosophilidae).
Habitat
They are increasingly associated with commercial composting activities and vegetable producers, wholesalers, and packers who store waste and / or reject produce in the open, as they are attracted to ripened or fermenting fruit and vegetables. Dwellings that report high infestations are increasingly found near these commercial undertakings. Fruit flies can be a problem year-round in domestic kitchens. They can contaminate foodstuffs, but usually only where there are poor hygiene standards or exposed, ripe fruit.
Health Impact
Fruit flies do not carry disease or cause structural damage to buildings.
Nuisance
The sheer numbers that congregate can create a nuisance. As a guideline, an occupier will normally experience some distress if there are 50 or more 'flying' fruit flies present in any one room at any one time on three successive days. Detecting domestic breeding areas for fruit flies involves finding the source(s) of attraction and breeding and potential breeding sites which areinaccessible (e.g., waste-disposals and drains) can be inspected by taping a clear plastic food storage bag over the opening overnight. If flies are breeding in these areas, the adults will emerge and be caught in the bag.
Controls
The best way to prevent problems with fruit flies is to eliminate sources of attraction. Produce which has ripened should be covered rather than discarded in the open. A single rotting potato or onion can breed thousands of fruit flies, as can a waste or recycling bin which is not emptied or cleaned. Where regular spillages of fruit juice or pulp inside buildings attract fruit flies, windows and doors should be equipped with tight-fitting (16 mesh) screens to help prevent adult fruit flies from entering from outdoors. All spillages and accumulations of fruit and vegetable juice and pulp should still be cleaned up regularly and thoroughly.
Once a structure is infested with fruit flies, all potential breeding areas must be located and eliminated as the problem will continue no matter how often insecticides are applied to control the adults. Only if the source has been eliminated and flies given time to disperse should an aerosol insecticide be used to kill remaining flies.
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