Vinegar Fly ("Fruit Fly")
Drosophila spp.
Tiny tan flies with red eyes that hover around fruit bowls, bins and drains. Often called fruit flies, but different from the Queensland fruit fly, which attacks fruit on trees.
- Size
- 2–3 mm
- Marking
- Red eyes
- Breeds in
- Fermenting fruit, drains, bins
- Not the same as
- Queensland fruit fly
Questions about the Vinegar Fly
How to identify a Vinegar Fly
Identification
- About 2–3 mm, tan to light brown.
- Bright red eyes.
- Slow, hovering flight around fruit, bins and drinks.
Where it lives
- Overripe or damaged fruit and vegetables.
- Recycling with juice, wine or beer residue.
- Drains, bin bottoms and damp mops.
Behaviour
- Attracted to fermentation; they breed in any moist, fermenting film.
- Can complete a generation in about a week in warm weather.
Why it matters
A nuisance rather than a health risk, but numbers build fast. See how to get rid of small flies in the kitchen.
Different from the Queensland fruit fly (Bactrocera tryoni), a horticultural pest of fruit on trees.
Commonly confused with
More questions about flies
All fly questions →Other fly species
House Fly
Musca domestica
The common grey fly found indoors worldwide. It breeds in rubbish, compost, manure and pet waste, and can carry bacteria onto food.
Blowflies
Family Calliphoridae
Large, often metallic green, blue or bronze flies that breed in meat and dead animals. A sudden swarm indoors usually means something has died nearby.
Fly guides
Common Brisbane Household Pests
A Brisbane-specific overview of the pests residents meet most often, when they are active, and what the subtropical climate, storms, creeks and Queenslander homes mean for pest pressure.
GuidePest Prevention Checklist
A printable seasonal checklist of simple, low-cost tasks that reduce pests around Australian homes, with the reason behind each step and extra lists for renters, apartment residents, pet owners and Queenslander owners.
GuideUnderstanding Pest Activity After Rain
Why storms and wet weather bring cockroaches, ants, mosquitoes and spiders into homes, what to expect in the days and weeks afterwards, and what to do before and after rain and floods.
Flies by location
More about flies
Flies
Two-winged insects that breed in rotting organic matter. House flies, blowflies, vinegar flies and drain flies each point to a different breeding source, and finding that source is the key to getting rid of them.
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Sources & further reading
- Australian Museum — insects and spiders — Australian Museum
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