Can Fruit Flies Make You Sick?

Fruit flies can be quite frustrating to come across. If they happen to come into contact with fruits, they can end up laying and hatching their eggs in them, which can then end up ruining the quality and freshness of the fruit.

Thus, fruit flies are extremely bothersome. Can fruit flies make you sick, though? Or are they simply harmful to the life of the fruit? Let’s examine this concern in more detail.

Contents show

Do Fruit Flies Bite?

Fruit flies are attracted to fruits as well as other sweet liquids and foods. They do not generally bite humans since they do not get attracted to blood. Thus, you do not need to worry about these flies biting you and causing you too much harm as a result of the bite.

Generally, fruit flies tend to restrict themselves to certain kinds of things, such as ripe and overripe fruits and vegetables, as well as rotting food of any kind. They can also easily swarm around drains and garbage cans.

If they do hover around you, however, this can be a bit annoying to manage and can also indicate that there is something around you that is attracting them.

Fruit flies are not likely to directly make you sick due to an illness or disease that they might carry. In fact, no specific disease is connected to fruit flies.

Thus, whether you end up eating fruit flies accidentally or eating fruits infected by fruit flies, you do not need to worry about getting an illness.

However, it is important to note that fruit flies can still make you sick if they happen to be carrying some kind of bacteria or germs. For instance, if they happened to be in a trash can and then came into contact with fruits around your house, then eating these fruits can end up making you sick.

There might also be eggs of the fruit flies on the fruits that you might eat without being aware of it. Not cleaning your dishes thoroughly can also lead to bacteria being left behind by fruit flies.

Effects of Contact with Fruit Flies

What happens when you come into contact with fruit flies either by directly ingesting them, eating off dirty plates, or by eating fruits that they have frequented?

Some common bacteria that fruit flies might carry include E. coli, salmonella, and listeria, among others. If you happen to ingest these bacteria through fruit flies, then you can expect some of the following effects on your health.

You might develop several digestive issues such as diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, cramps or pain and burning or discomfort that could either reduce in intensity in a couple of days or might lead to more severe food poisoning that might last for several days.

In case it does not get better, you should see the doctor as soon as possible.

You might also end up developing urinary tract infections if the impact of the bacteria is too intense. This can end up causing plenty of pain and swelling.

Listeria, in particular, can lead to listeriosis which can cause pain, fatigue, fever, diarrhea, a lack of balance, and more. It might also create more serious issues for weak immunities, older people, and pregnant women.

Other issues include respiratory problems, pneumonia, infections, and others. Many of these might require hospitalization in extreme cases.

The fruit flies themselves will end up dying after you consume them. Either way, their lifespan is merely around ten days.

You should note that in case the fruit flies you eat do not carry any bacteria, then they are not likely to do you much harm but make sure you avoid them as much as possible.

Signs of Infestation

In case there are fruit flies in your house, you will easily be able to notice them through their tiny structures, red eyes, and a body that is usually yellow to brown in color. Sometimes fruit flies will be mistaken for drain flies.

They will mostly hover around any uncovered fruits, vegetables, and sweet foods or syrups. They will also swarm around your garbage and unwashed dishes in case you have left these uncovered.

If there is anything rotten or overripe in your house, then these will surely attract fruit flies to them as well. In case you do not see the fruit flies directly, then you should inspect your fruits for their eggs.

A good way to prevent yourself from getting sick is to simply throw out your rotten food as these are more likely than not to have eggs of fruit flies, especially if you left them out for too long.

How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies

You can go through the following steps or methods to get rid of fruit flies from your house to prevent too much damage to food as well as to your own health.

Inspect your kitchen and other areas of your house. In case you find rotting or rotten food, you should get rid of it to prevent the fruit flies from spreading. You might also be able to find them in your garbage or in the refrigerator.

Use sprays or insecticides to get rid of the fruit flies. However, you should be careful while using these as they contain several toxic chemicals that might harm your health as well as your pets’ and kids’ health.

You can make use of traps or baits using sweet foods or syrups, rotten fruits, sugar, vinegar, or more. Keep these inside a bottle or jar so that you can capture and get rid of the fruit flies.

Keep everything clean and tidy at all times and throw out your garbage regularly.

Summary

It is clear that fruit flies themselves do not carry diseases, but they might carry bacteria that can then cause diseases and harm your health. They can also end up damaging the food that you will need to throw out.

Make sure you prevent their infestation as far as possible.