Fruit flies are the type of insect that can be difficult to avoid. Knowing this, some people may fear the potential harm that they can bring. There goes the question, is there any reason we should be afraid of them? Find out the answers here.
So, are fruit flies harmful? Yes, fruit flies can be harmful to our health. All species of flies are notorious carriers of bacteria that could bring transmittable diseases.
Physical contact with fruit flies can trigger skin irritation or allergies.
If they also land on food that is accidentally consumed by humans, there is a chance to experience food poisoning symptoms such as vomiting, stomachache, diarrhea and feeling nauseous.
Fruit fly eggs and larvae (maggots) also carry the same health risks. They often lay their eggs on rotting fruit and vegetables and the eggs can be difficult to notice.
This is why there are cases of food poisoning after accidentally consuming fly eggs (and maggots).
Even their remains (a dead fruit fly, dead flies and dead maggots) are still harmful to your health.
If you are concerned if they are directly “harmful”, fruit flies, and most species of flies, do not have teeth or mouth to bite us. They cannot physically harm us, but they may only indirectly cause diseases.
As we all know, flies will land on anything, including garbage, waste, feces, dirty waters or such. They will not only land on them, they will also consume them.
You may think that fruit flies are “healthier” compared to other flies, but that isn’t true. They are as filthy as other species of fly and carry the same potential health risks as other common flies.
In a sense, a fruit fly’s footsteps are like traces of bacteria scattered around.
They are not the ones that will give you a disease, but they can carry bacteria that will.
How fruit flies can harm you
Fruit flies can bring in various diseases if you make contact with them by having them land on you, land on your food or accidentally consuming their eggs or making contact with their larvae (maggots).
Here’s a list of potential diseases fruit flies (and every other fly) and maggots can bring.
Keep in mind, the risk of getting a disease from fruit flies is LOW especially if you are always keeping your area (and yourself!) clean.
Always keep your surroundings clean and do not panic at the sight of a fruit fly. If you sensed “biting” on your skin, do know that it is not a fruit fly but possibly a different insect.
This article is simply meant to educate you about the potential risks that a fruit fly (and other fly species) can bring.
Fruit Fly Diseases
The risk of getting infected by a disease from fruit flies and their larvae is low, but it is still best to be aware of what they can potentially bring.
- Skin irritation (skin infections)
- Allergic reactions
- Myiasis
- High fever attacks
- Stomachache
- Food poisoning – vomiting, nausea
- Diarrhea
- Difficulty in breathing
- Swollen skin, swollen face
- Facial edema
- Uncontrolled weight loss
- Random body pain
- Risk of getting mild to severe deafness and blindness
- Anosmia (losing your sense of smell)
- Epidemic Conjunctivitis
- Typhoid fever
- Cholera
- Salmonella
- Tuberculosis
- Gastroenteritis
- Dysentery
- Leprosy
Contact with a fruit fly maggot can lead to low allergic reactions to high fever attacks.
It can cause diarrhea and symptoms similar to food poisoning such as vomiting and feeling nauseous can also be observed. There is one common infection known that is mainly caused by the maggots.
The thing is, fruit fly maggots are easier to get rid of, but they are more dangerous when it comes to health risks as they can cause human body infestations (myiasis) that may also lead to deafness, eye infections and losing your sense of smell.
What are the symptoms of fruit fly diseases
Here are the symptoms of some diseases that was listed above.
Typhoid Fever
This sickness can cause loss of appetite, abdominal pain, and severe headaches with fever around 104 Fahrenheit or 40 degrees Celsius. If untreated, it can potentially lead to lethargy which may cause the infected individual to have a huge drop in their physical and emotional activities.
Cholera
When you have cholera, you will be experiencing watery diarrhea that have fishy odors. You might also start vomiting and have an unusual or fast heart rate. Having a dry mouth and lowering of blood pressure are also signs of cholera.
Salmonella
Salmonella causes bloody stools and may turn bowel movements painful. Having fever paired with colds and headaches is another sign of salmonella. Stomach cramps, diarrhea and vomiting might occur as well.
Tuberculosis
If you’ve had a bad cough for weeks and occasionally coughing up blood, it is a clear sign of tuberculosis. It also causes chest pains and can make breathing difficult. You may also experience uncontrolled weight loss, unexplainable fatigue, night sweats and random fever strikes.
Gastroenteritis
Gastroenteritis causes watery diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. There can also be low fever, muscle aches and headaches. It is more related to food poisoning which attacks our stomach area most.
Epidemic Conjunctivitis (EKC)
EKC causes red or pinkness in the eye and swollen eyelids making you look like as if you haven’t slept and you’ve been crying.
This also causes sensitivity towards light or mild photophobia, blurry visions, pain in the eyes and sometimes feeling like there is something inside your eye. You may also experience having clear, watery discharges. Uncontrolled tears can also occur.
Dysentery
Like other diseases, dysentery also causes watery diarrhea that may eventually contain mucus or blood in the stool. It also causes abdominal pain, body aches, fever, and rapid dehydration. Other symptoms include weight loss, nausea, vomiting and feeling rectal pain during bowel movements.
How to get rid of fruit flies
If you are bothered by the risks and want to get rid of fruit flies, we’ve got you covered.
You can get rid of fruit flies using the following methods, this will work for other fly species as well.
- Manual Ways to Get Rid of Fruit Flies
- Fly Sprays
- The fly spray repellents can be easily bought from any store so this option is always available for anyone to try.
You can also use the spray on objects like the garbage bin or the wall so the flies would no longer be interested in it. They will start avoiding the areas where you’ve sprayed the fly repellent.
- The fly spray repellents can be easily bought from any store so this option is always available for anyone to try.
- Glue traps
- A glue trap can also be bought from specific stores or you can try to make one by yourself through watching video tutorials online but if you don’t want to, just order it.
This method is easy because you will just lay the trap around the area where the flies are infesting and leave it on.
Eventually, they will land on the trap and become instantly immobilized so when you come back, many of the flies have been eliminated because they can no longer move.
Even if they manage to escape, the sticky substances will probably hinder their ability to fly so you can still catch them.
- A glue trap can also be bought from specific stores or you can try to make one by yourself through watching video tutorials online but if you don’t want to, just order it.
- Electric zappers
- Electric zappers on the other hand may come in several forms. The most common one is the light zapper.
You can install a light bulb that naturally attracts those flies and once they touch the light or get near it, it will zap them with electricity which will get rid of the flies for you.
Flies have a positive phototaxis and that means they are naturally drawn to light because of the benefits that animals get through photosynthesis. Therefore, using a trap related to light can be effective.
Another form of electric zapper is a tennis racket zapper. This is usually used for mosquitoes but it can also work with flies.
Flies are way faster than mosquitoes but if you have one of those rackets and you’re feeling energetic, you can try to catch some of those flies.
- Electric zappers on the other hand may come in several forms. The most common one is the light zapper.
- Fly Sprays
- Natural Ways to Get Rid of Fruit Flies
- Plants
- Flies are actually drawn to certain plants but there are also plants that they avoid. Plants such as Pennyroyal, Basil, Rosemary, Tansy, Bay laurel, Citronella grass and Wormwood release scents that naturally repel flies.
As of today, there is still no clear reason why flies hate those kinds of plants but it might just be about the scent and nothing else complicated.
Venus Flytrap Plants will also keep those flies in check, if you are into raising exotic life. The Venus flytrap owns up to its name and consumes fly for the minerals it can get once the fly decomposes inside the plant’s body.
- Flies are actually drawn to certain plants but there are also plants that they avoid. Plants such as Pennyroyal, Basil, Rosemary, Tansy, Bay laurel, Citronella grass and Wormwood release scents that naturally repel flies.
- Animals
- Flies have predators. If you love raising pets, the wilder or exotic ones such as spiders, frogs, iguanas, chameleons and geckos, you can use that to your advantage.
Take your pet where the flies are and watch them how they catch a fly; it happens within the blink of an eye!
- Flies have predators. If you love raising pets, the wilder or exotic ones such as spiders, frogs, iguanas, chameleons and geckos, you can use that to your advantage.
- Plants
Prevention is always better than cure. Avoid inviting fruit flies over by keeping your area clean and removing potential factors that could attract them.
If you want to know more, you can read: “What Causes Fruit Flies?“
Related Questions
Can fruit flies lay eggs in humans?
Yes, fruit flies can lay eggs in humans especially if they are unnoticed. It’s rare, but it happens. They usually lay eggs in open wounds, causing maggots (larvae) to appear inside the wound. Avoid letting any kind of fly to land on you.
Can fruit fly eggs hatch in your stomach?
Yes, it is possible for fruit fly eggs to hatch inside your stomach. The acid inside the stomach is enough to kill them, however, if you consumed a lot of fruit fly eggs, some of them may survive and live inside your stomach that leads to various pain and diseases.