Category: Fly Guides

Fruit Fly vs Gnat: How to Distinguish
One of the main problems related to all insects is their small size. Due to this, people often tend to confuse them and choose mistaken controls. One of the brightest examples is fruit flies and gnats. How can you distinguish fruit fly vs gnat? Both insects are small, annoying, can fly, and may create a lot of inconvenience to you and other people.
Let’s be honest, almost all people do not bother to distinguish flying insects and define their species. But it is very important to understand this aspect at least in order to purchase the right controls. Therefore, today, I want to teach you how to define whether you have fruit flies or gnats.
What Is the Difference Between Gnats and Fruit Flies: a Complete Guide
In this section, we will look closer at both fruit flies and gnats. What do they look like? Where did they come from? What is their lifestyle? What do they eat? It is only a part of the questions on which you will find answers here.
Gnat Identification Chart
There are a lot of different gnat types that vary in color, shape, and even lifestyle. I will cover the most typical gnats that can appear at home.
Color: ranges from grey to black. The most popular are brown gnats, but I know several people who told me: “I found red gnats in my house”. Of course, it is possible, but red gnats are a very rare type.
Shape: like the vast majority of home insects, gnats with red eyes are almost tiny. They are less than 1/16 inch in length. Hence, if you notice tiny flies in kitchen, most probably, they are gnats.
Lifecycle: before a gnat can be called a mature insect, it must go through three stages, starting with eggs, then they undergo larvae, and, finally, pupae. Interesting fact, when it is warm, these insects, usually, grow faster. The female gnats lay hundreds of eggs at the same time. The common life duration of these insects is about 2-3 weeks.
Food: mature gnats are primarily fed on blood. They are one of the most known parasites that spread diseases and infections. But there are other gnat species that feed on crop pests and plants.
Where you can meet them: gnats can live outdoors and indoors. They prefer to be near the water; therefore, there are so many gnats near a river in summer.
Fruit Fly Identification Chart
Now, let’s see how the fruit flies look and what they eat. To make it easy to compare fungus gnats vs fruit flies, I decided to include the same characteristics as in the previous section: color, shape, lifecycle, food, and places where they live.
Color: fruit flies have almost the same colors as gnats. Their color palette varies from tan to brown-black and brown-yellow. So, small black flying bugs in house not fruit flies!
Shape: Fruit flies are almost twice as much as gnats. The mature insect is about 1/8 inch in length. It is almost the most important reason why some bugs that look like fruit flies tend to be confused by people. By the way, comparing drain flies vs fruit flies, it is important to say that the first species features a significantly bigger body size.
Lifecycle: Fruit flies like gnats prefer warm temperatures. Therefore, they appear in the summer or early autumn. There are four stages of the fruit fly life cycle: egg, larva, pupa, and mature insect. The fruit fly female can lay about 500 eggs at once. Compared to gnats, fruit flies live less: about one-two weeks.
Food: Fruit flies like to eat fruits, vegetables, and other organic matter. They do not feed on humans or animals’ blood.
Where you can meet them: near fruits and vegetables.
Where Do Gnats Come From?
Gnats love wet and secluded places. Forests near the river are a great breeding ground. Adult females predominantly lay eggs in organic material, such as compost, dirt, or mulch. During their maturation, the larvae feed on various decomposing substances and fungi that they find in the soil.
After two weeks of such feeding, gnats become full-fledged pests. However, they do not fly away from water and moisture. Those gnats that live at home are also looking for dark and secluded places.
It is important to remember that gnats always fly into the light. That is why, make sure that your windows have special anti-mosquitos nets, especially if you live near the river or lake.

What Do Fruit Flies Come From?
We have already figured out where gnats come from. Now let’s look at fruit midges. Each of us faced a situation where you accidentally left a bitten fruit on a plate for the whole night, and you woke up in the morning and saw a huge amount of fruit flies. You looked at the windows and saw that they were closed. So, where had they come from?
It turns out that there is no mysticism. Although until the 19th century it was believed that all insects could appear from the air. However, thanks to today’s capabilities, we know that fruit flies are finding fruits or vegetables and lay eggs on them. These eggs are invisible to human eyes.
Once this vegetable or fruit begins to roam or rot, the midges become activated, grow rapidly, and begin to take over your kitchen. If we talk about street fruit flies, then they live mainly in gardens. By the way, it is much easier to get rid of home fruit flies than of street ones.
FAQ Section
To include only the most necessary and important information in this article, I browsed through dozens of insect forums and selected the four most popular questions. It is possible that some facts may resemble the ones mentioned above.
Are Gnats and Fruit Flies the Same?
No. The only similarity these two insects have is tiny body size. Although, if you take a closer look, you can notice that gnats are much smaller as compared to fruit flies. It is related to body color.
Yes, they are both dark but the vast majority of fruit flies feature the brown color while gnats are grey or black. The biggest difference, in my opinion, lies in the food. Gnats are well-known parasites that feed on blood while fruit flies prefer to eat vegetables, fruits, and other organic matters.
How to Prevent Fruit Flies and Gnats?
It is much easier to get rid of fruit flies than gnats. Although they are completely different insects, there are four basic pieces of advice that can help you to prevent their appearance. First of all, never leave unfinished food on the table. Secondly, wash the dishes regularly.
Thirdly, watch out for garbage and take it out regularly. Garbage such as fish or spoiled food is recommended to be taken out immediately. And finally, put anti-mosquito nets on the windows and do not forget to clean the home regularly.
How to Get Rid of Gnats and Fruit Flies?
Firstly, let’s dwell on how to get rid of fruit flies in your home. In most cases, you can do it by yourself without calling pest control companies:
- Create a trap from cider vinegar;
- Throw out all food from the table;
- Put a fruit to the jar with a trap to attract fruit flies.
Now, how to get rid of fungus gnats. You can do it by decreasing soil moisture in houseplants, placing traps, or using special gnat killer sprays.
Do Gnats Lay Eggs?
Yes. A female gnat can lay hundreds of eggs at once. Most often, they do it in moist soil, near the water, and in dark places. It takes about three days to pass the egg stage. Sometimes, gnats can lay eggs indoors. Therefore, do not be surprised if you find gnats or fruit flies in house.
Also read:
What Is Important to Remember?
Fungus gnats and fruit flies are different insects that vary by shape, color, and size. Both can live indoors and outdoors. To get rid of them, you need to keep your house always clean. Do you have an effective recipe to kill gnats and fruit flies? Share it in the comments box below.
References:
- Fruit Flies (Entomology at the University of Kentucky):
  https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef621
2020-06-05
Where Do Fruit Flies Come From? — Answering Your Questions About Drosophilae
Hey there. Nicholas Martin (aka pest buster) here. Today, I’m going to talk about fruit flies. Oh yeah, those pesky uninvited guests are so tedious. Fruit flies invade your bedroom. They’re all over your kitchen. What’s most irritating is that they just love your food! You chase them down, Raid-ing them to death or whacking the heck out of them, but their buddies come back for more of your yummies… That’s just not fair!
Where do fruit flies come from all of a sudden? What exactly causes fruit flies? Are they dangerous? If these questions keep turning, churning, and burning inside you, you’ve come to the right place.
I’m a professional entomologist (read as fruit fly slayer). So in this post, I’m going to tell you all about your current buzzing enemies, arming you with all the details necessary for their elimination. This knowledge will help you eradicate your fruit fly infestation.
Fruit Fly Identification Guide: Spot the Foe
You’re probably aware that fruit flies adore hanging out where it’s warm and cozy. But why do they all of a sudden choose your house as their permanent place of residence? Do they just pop out of thin air?
Or do they come from fruit? What causes fruit flies? Where do fruit flies lay eggs? How long do fruit flies live? I’ll start answering all these questions from the very beginning.
Fruit flies (also referred to as vinegar, wine flies, or, in a more scientific language, ‘Drosophilae melanogaster’) look similar to house flies, but there are certain major distinctions.
Their color ranges from yellow to brown; they usually have reddish eyes (although there are dark-eyed fruit fly species), as well as thin, transparent wing covers. Adult drosophilae have noticeable antennae that look fluffy in an ugly way.

Fruit Flies vs. Fungus Gnats: Ok, What’s the Difference?
Wondering about the visual distinction between fruit flies and fungus gnats? They, indeed, look quite similar. Moreover, fruit flies and gnats even have similar behavior patterns. However, there are a few distinguishing features between these two tiny pests.
First and foremost, gnats usually have longer legs compared to drosophilae. Second, fruit flies have big, red eyes, while gnats’ eyes are so tiny that they are way too challenging to spot. Furthermore, gnats have longer bodies compared to fruit flies.
With regard to the differences in terms of their behavior, fungus gnats prefer using your garden soil (or the soil of your houseplants) as their nesting location. That’s why they’re alternatively referred to as soil gnats, by the way. As for fruit flies, they choose overripe fruit or drains as their breeding area.
If you’re wondering if drosophilae and fungus gnats are dangerous, well, they’re no good for your home for sure. Fruit flies, for instance, can spread a variety of bacteria and, i.e. cause health issues, while fungus gnats can damage your plants. So the faster you start getting rid of the problem, the faster you’ll deal with it.
How Fruit Flies Get in Your House
Fruit fly larvae are buttery-colored, thin, and rice grain-shaped. Pretty often, fruit flies lay their eggs in fermenting liquid (mainly inside your fruit or vegetables brought from the grocery store). As a matter of fact, spotting fruit fly eggs is barely possible.
Therefore, you can accidentally eat them (yuck!) each time you enjoy an apple or peach! So be sure to wash your fruit like a pro prior to munching on them…
You’ve probably already guessed that fruit flies don’t just pop out of nowhere, even though it seems like they do. They may enter your home through small cracks in your walls and even through tiny crevices around your windows.
Alternatively, you may bring their pre-laid eggs inside the fruit or veggies from your local grocery store. Hope that answers your ‘how do fruit flies get in the house’ question.
How Do Fruit Flies Reproduce? Impressively Rapid Transformation
Studying the life cycle of this nasty pest is useful for winning your fruit fly battle. Without this vital knowledge, you may end up failing to eradicate your drosophila problem. The whole life cycle of a fruit fly is quite short and takes only up to 1.5 months.
Their life span largely depends on the time of year, though. Fruit flies are the most lively and active during warmer months. ‘Lady’ fruit flies lay several clusters of eggs during that period, which allows the ‘community’ of these pests to multiply very speedily.
What’s astonishing about the life cycle of drosophilae is that their egg-to-adult fly metamorphosis takes no longer than 2 weeks. That’s astoundingly fast. Let’s track how exactly they do the trick of ‘flying’ from fetus into adulthood. I’ll describe the process and the stages below.
Source
There are four distinct stages in the life cycle of a fruit fly. Here’s a brief outline of each of them:
- egg stage: the ‘lady’ fly lays up to 20 eggs that transform into larvae within about 2 days; at this point, fruit fly eggs are so tiny that you will probably fail to notice them on your fruit or veggies; throughout its lifetime, a mom drosophila is capable of laying up to 500 eggs;
- larva stage: at the larval stage (which lasts for up to 4 days), the egg has already transformed into maggots, also referred to as the larvae: short, small, food-loving worms. These worms stuff their fatty bodies with food until they are ready for the next stage of the fruit fly transformation;
- pupa stage: this stage is crucial when it comes to the fruit fly transformation; once it’s over, the fly is all grown up and more than ready to invade your sweet home with its pesky friends;
- adult drosophila stage: if all goes ‘as planned’ during the previous stage, at this point the egg-to-adult fly transformation is fully complete; that pretty much answers your ‘how are fruit flies born’ question; the adult fly is hungrier than ever, for the previous stage has drained of all of its resources.
If you’re wondering where all fruit flies go during the wintertime, they enter a state called diapause, which is the insect ‘sleep mode’. During this time, their growth and appetite are slowed down — right until the weather is warm, and they can munch on their favorite yummies again.
Why Do Fruit Flies Appear? More Answers to Your Questions Below
Drosophilae are toothless; therefore, liquids are their main food. Organic materials, including sugary ones, lure these bothersome creatures. Most frequently, these flies infest fruit, hence their ‘fruity’ name.
That’s mainly because fruit (especially when it rots) naturally gives off the sweet smell of honey and vinegar — something that fruit flies are totally hypnotized by.
If you go out of town and leave, say, ripe peaches on your kitchen table, a loud fruit fly party is definitely going to await you when you come back. Also, fruit flies can breed in rotting meat, trash cans, and soda/alcohol spills.
That’s why enjoying a glass of your favorite beer on a warm summer night is often impossible without being hunted by a swarm of the hovering uninvited guests.
Fruit Fly FAQ
1. Do fruit flies come from fruit?
Not exactly. Fruit flies don’t just suddenly materialize from inside the fruit. On the contrary, these stealthy guys attack the fruit in your kitchen from outside — right when it’s all overripe and juicy. In other words, fruit flies that come from the fruit is a (pretty ridiculous) myth.
2. Where do fruit flies come from in the bathroom?
Drosophilae enjoy spending time in warm, moist places. Most frequently, they lay their eggs on the surface of ripe fruit and veggies. However, fruit fly moms can easily opt for any other dark, moist areas (like your shower or sink drains) for laying their eggs. Yep, that’s how easily clouds of nasty fruit flies in your bathroom can be explained.
3. How fast do fruit flies breed?
Drosophilae reproduce at an incredible rate. On average, all the aforementioned stages of the life cycle of a fruit fly take up no longer than one week. That being said, when an infestation begins, it usually races out of control inexplicably fast.
4. Can fruit flies come from drain?
Yes. Fruit flies can breed in sewers, drains, trash cans, septic tanks, under your bathroom sink, under a loose floor tile, and in similar non-typical areas. These pesky insects thrive on moisture and organic debris; therefore, the aforementioned locations are pretty comfy for their short yet very noticeable lives.
5. Are fruit flies dangerous to your health?
Fruit flies are not as hazardous as, say, wasps, but they’re still not just a mere annoyance. In fact, plenty of germs can stick to the bodies of fruit flies. These germs (gut bacteria in particular) can get on your food and cause such a highly unpleasant health problem as diarrhea.
6. Do fruit flies bite?
No. Fruit flies cannot flaunt biting mouthparts. Besides, they don’t care about your blood. All they care about is rotten fruit, trashcans, and nice booze. So in this sense, fruit flies are the direct opposites of mosquitoes.
7. Can fruit flies go away on their own?
Fruit flies are extremely fertile. They breed nonstop, laying up to 500 eggs throughout their short lifespan. Once these tenacious pests make themselves at home in your house, they will not go away on their own. Luckily, you don’t have to put up with them and can get rid of them either under your own steam or with professional assistance.
Also read:
Last but Not Least: Knowledge Is Power
Now that you’ve learned all there is to know about drosophilae and their major habits, you’re armed with logical prevention steps against these little troublemakers.
First, have proper sanitation, clean up, or get rid of all their potential breeding spots. Second, make sure that your garbage bins have tight lids.
On top of that, make sure that you keep your fruit and veggies in the fridge. Your almost-rotten fruit should be discarded immediately. If you’re experiencing a fruit fly infestation that’s out of control, you’re welcome to research on the best fruit fly traps in one of my previous posts — or get in touch with licensed pest control pros asap.
What about your experience of overcoming fruit fly infestations? How did you solve the problem? Or are you still in the process of battling fruit flies? Feel free to share your opinion with me and your fellow-readers in the comment section below. Any feedback from my readers is always highly appreciated.
References:
- Fruit Flies (Entomology at the University of Kentucky):
  https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef621
- An Introduction to Drosophila melanogaster (University of Washington):
  https://depts.washington.edu/cberglab/wordpress/outreach/an-introduction-to-fruit-flies/
2020-04-25