Fruit Fly Eggs

Many species of fruit flies exist throughout the world. They vary in size, color and shape. Many fruit flies breed rapidly, although mating rituals range from intricate dances to territorial control or traditional breeding, wherein the male simply impregnates the female.

Once impregnated, female fruit flies are capable of laying more than 500 eggs. Eggs are usually laid in fruit or other sugary, decaying organic material. Fruit flies choose such breeding sites in order to ensure a food source for their larvae after they have hatched, as well as protection from certain predatory species. Optimal temperatures for fly eggs range from 75 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit, which is also the average temperature of a home's interior.

What Do Fruit Fly Eggs Look Like?

Fruit fly eggs measure only 1/2 mm in length. Under a microscope, they are yellow in color and appear to be the shape of a grain of rice. In optimal temperatures, fruit fly eggs hatch into larvae within 30 hours. These larvae ultimately mature into adults that feed, breed and lay their own generation of eggs. The life cycle of some fruit fly species is less than one week.