Drosophila fly - how does it appear, what does it look like, what does it eat and how to get rid of it?

1. Drosophila fruit flies - a brief description
2. Midge development
3. Sex differences in a nutshell
4. Laying eggs
5. Pupation of the Drosophila fly
6. Brief life of an adult Drosophila
7. How to get rid of Drosophila flies An important factor in the destruction of Drosophila melanogaster
8. Find and neutralize
9. Prevention is the best measure

Everyone, both urban and rural residents, has encountered fruit flies. It would seem that what is the problem, let them fly - they live short, do not bite, are almost harmless. But there are situations when getting rid of such crumbs is more difficult than getting rid of cockroaches, so it is better to be prepared.

Drosophila fruit flies - a brief description

There are many small flies in nature, more than 2000 species, and they are sometimes confused with other flies, although fruit flies have a number of features so as not to be confused with fungus gnats or sewer midges.

Table of differences between fruit flies and other small midges:

Drosophila are called differently depending on where they were found in a given area. They are most often found in spoiled fruits, which is why they got their name fruit fly. And because they simply adore sour, young wine, wine vinegar is a “vinegar” or “wine” fly.

Drosophila melanogaster prefers plant debris, juice, and rotting fruit. And the larva does not disdain microorganisms. The larvae develop in semi-rotten raw materials - neither a solid nor a liquid consistency is suitable for young larvae, but a viscous one is excellent.

Drosophila melanogaster is a tiny dipterous insect. Available almost anywhere in the world.

It enters human habitation by crawling into cracks or open holes when it smells the appetizing aromas of fruit rot.

It is also carried by pets on their fur. They are often brought along with vegetables and fruits from the store, on the soles of shoes.

Treatment of bites

How to treat a midge bite and whether it is worth doing depends on the degree of symptoms. First aid consists of treating the wound with an alcohol-based solution or disinfectant. Subsequent measures are aimed at eliminating itching, reducing redness, relieving pain, and avoiding infection. How long it takes for bites to heal depends on the characteristics of the body and the measures taken aimed at recovery. In the absence of an allergic reaction, home treatment with traditional medicine is sufficient. Otherwise, you cannot do without consulting a doctor. Self-prescribing treatment with antibiotics and hormonal ointments is contraindicated.

Allergy to midge bites

Treatment of a midge bite is carried out according to different schemes, which depend on the type of skin changes.

Laying eggs

Drosophila eggs look like thin cylinders, up to 0.6 mm. They are clearly visible against a dark background. One female is capable of laying more than 1,500 eggs in her life (up to 20 eggs in each clutch). To lay eggs, it selects fruits with a soft consistency. They can also lay their offspring in drains.

The environment in which the larva hatches determines the future of the adult fly. The larva must eat as much as possible during this period, accumulating a lot of nutrients. This will allow her to grow into a larger individual and significantly increase her chances of survival.

After hatching, the larvae crawl along the surface, then gnaw through the medium and remain inside until pupation.

Pupation of the Drosophila fly

The larvae crawl briskly around the environment, but no longer eat anything. Having found a suitable place, they stop moving, shrink and become like a barrel. All organs and tissues are destroyed, only the nervous system and gonads (organs that produce germ cells) remain, and the rudiments of the adult organs develop. The entire conversion process takes 4 days.

By the beginning of the 4th day, the pupa’s eyes are already clearly visible, which are initially yellowish (by the time they hatch, they become red), and the wings are increasingly visible. In the end, liquid accumulates inside the pupa, which breaks the dense cover, and the fly is freed. The “birth” of a fly occurs in the morning.

Interesting Facts

Drosophila is the most valuable organism for biological research, especially for genetics. The fly has been used as a model organism for various types of research for a century now.

The use of Drosophila for experimental research is due to its small size and short life cycle. In addition, it is an inexpensive individual for the processes of reproduction and breeding of even a huge number of insects. They are excellent for cultivation in laboratory conditions.

Mutants of individuals with any gene defects are available for a variety of experiments.

How to get rid of fruit flies

The crazy fertility of the fruit midge leads to the fact that it is enough to go away for the weekend and forget the ripe fruit on the table, so that in a couple of days the whole apartment will be covered with black clouds that will be everywhere, on all surfaces and crevices.

After the destruction of most of the insects, more and more hordes appear the next day. And each baby leaves behind not only many clutches of eggs, but also black spots of feces on everything where it sat. Therefore, the plan to combat the wine fly must be quick and effective, otherwise the war will drag on and the forces will not be on the side of man.

Plan for getting rid of fruit flies:

1. Deprive them of any food source.
2. Find and eliminate places where insects and midge eggs are located.
3. Carry out preventive measures.

Fruit midges fly slowly, but they have excellent vision and are good at noticing fast or sudden movements, while calm, slow ones will not scare them away.

The midge suffers greatly from lack of moisture. Almost not afraid of frost, loves alcohol, especially wine and beer.

An important factor in the killing of Drosophila melanogaster

The most important and effective means in the fight against fruit flies is to deprive flies and larvae of food. This means that you need to remove any fruits, vegetables, sugary drinks, canned food, especially spoiled and spoiled foods.

Find and neutralize

Be sure to find places where adults and larvae are located. Wash everything, destroy spoiled items, put away bags of nuts, cereals, open jam and compotes or hide them in the refrigerator.

Kill fruit flies using chemicals or various baits. Large accumulations can be removed using a vacuum cleaner.

Prevention is the best measure

Those who have the habit of clearing everything from the table immediately after eating, storing food in airtight containers or the refrigerator may never encounter fruit flies or cockroaches.

The main condition for preventing these annoying neighbors is to remove all food and liquids, leaving it perfectly clean. Insects will not have anything to eat or where to lay eggs, and they will move to places with more hospitable owners.

Social structure and reproduction

Photo: Insect Drosophila fly

The Drosophila fly is an insect with a short lifespan. At sixteen degrees above zero, such animals live only ten days. For this reason, their body develops very rapidly; female fruit flies are able to lay eggs literally immediately after birth - on the second or third day. Female midges are very fertile. They retain their ability to reproduce throughout their lives.

The female lays eggs directly on fruits, vegetables, and their remains. The eggs are very small. Their length is no more than 0.5 millimeters. They have an elongated shape. At one time, a female Drosophila can lay up to eighty eggs. And over the course of a lifetime, the number of eggs laid by one individual can reach several hundred.

Interesting fact: A female fruit fly only needs one mating with a male to lay eggs several times. The fact is that this insect knows how to preserve seminal fluid for later use.

The development process and growth rate of larvae depends on their diet. After birth, the larvae live on the surface of the fruit. They can live in a semi-liquid environment without drowning thanks to special float chambers. The length of one larva is usually three and a half millimeters. Their body color is white. Some time after birth, the larva pupates, and after four days an adult emerges from the pupa.

Making your own fruit fly traps

Funnel trap

The simplest option is to place a fragrant bait in any container, and place a lid, watering can or cone on top, allowing insects to crawl inside but not crawl out. Seal the edges of the trap so that insects have only one entrance and no gaps.

When the trap is black with prisoners, they need to be destroyed. There can be many ways: add water (can be hot), heat it in the microwave for a minute, release it outside, put it in the freezer, etc.

Another trap option is with vinegar.

Pour a drop of wine or apple cider vinegar into the bottom of the container, add a pinch of salt, warm water and a couple of drops of dishwashing detergent. Mix everything and put it in a visible place

You can catch fruit flies with live beer, crushed ripe banana, sour compote or honey water - in a minute hundreds of insects will rush to the sweet delicacy.

Taxonomy

species group

D. setosimentum
, a species of Hawaiian winged fly

In the genus Drosophila

it is currently defined as paraphyletic (see below) and contains 1,450 described species,[3][42] and the total number of species is in the thousands.[43]
Most species are members of two subgenera: Drosophila
(about 1,100 species) and
Sophophora
(including
D. (S.) melanogaster
; about 330 species).

Hawaiian Drosophila

(estimated to be over 500, of which approximately 380 species are described), are sometimes recognized as a separate genus or subgenus,
Idiomy
,[3][44] but this is not generally accepted.
About 250 species are included in the genus Scaptomysa
, which originated from the Hawaiian
Drosophila
and later recolonized continental areas.

Evidence from phylogenetic studies suggests that these genera are descended from the genus Drosophila

:[45][46]

• Liodrosophila
  Duda, 1922
• Mycodrosophila
  Oldenburg, 1914
• Samoa
  Malloch, 1934
• Scaptomysa
  Hardy, 1849
• Zaprion
  Coquillette, 1901
• Zygotrica
  Wiedemann, 1830
• Hirtodrosophila
  Duda, 1923 (position undetermined)

Some of the subgeneric and generic names are based on anagrams of Drosophila

, including
Dorsilophus
,
Lordiphosa
,
Syphlodorus
,
Floridosa
, and
Psilodorchus
.

Drosophila as a pest

This small lionfish is dangerous because in large quantities it can spoil a huge amount of ripe fruits or vegetables - having started on a spoiled fruit, it gradually devours the soft and ripe one nearby. Therefore, it is considered a pest of food supplies.

Drosophila stains food with waste products and carries microorganisms that lead to rapid rotting or fermentation of fruits and vegetables.

If you swallow several flies, there is a possibility of gastrointestinal infection or myiasis (when insect larvae develop in the human body and make holes and passages in its organs).

Prevention measures

To prevent Drosophila flies from appearing in your home, the following conditions must be observed:

• If fruits and vegetables can be stored in the refrigerator, then keep them in the fresh zone to kill fruit fly eggs;
• wash fruits and vegetables with cold water immediately before eating;
• do not leave fruits unharvested;
• promptly separate rotten fruits and vegetables from fresh ones;
• throw away garbage in a timely manner so that the rotting process does not begin;
• Install protective insect nets on windows in the warm season - get rid of flies, flies, and mosquitoes.

Benefits of fruit flies

Aquarists and fishermen love these midges most of all because their larvae are excellent food for fish at all stages.

The role of this baby is also great in science, especially in genetics. Their fleeting life and the ease of changing characteristics make it possible to trace the transmission of genetic characteristics live within a few months (the method of dominant mutations, etc.).

And the fact that more than 60% of human diseases have corresponding diseases in the genetics of this insect makes it possible to model genetic diseases by observing several generations of midges. The important role of fruit flies in the study of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, diabetes, cancer, and drug addiction.

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