Can Fruit Flies Be Aggressive?
WouterWhen flies fight each other, they do so for a variety of reasons. Some fight for territory in order to attract females, while others fight to find the best spots to lay eggs. Male fruit flies are especially aggressive, and this is reflected in their fighting behavior. However, this aggression is not shared by female flies.
Flies are also known as nuisance flies. They are very annoying and irritating because of their high activity level. However, they can also carry disease-causing bacteria and parasites. In addition, nuisance flies are easily attracted to food and breeding material. You can control them by removing items that attract them, closing windows and doors, and removing rotting organic materials.
In a recent study, scientists looked at fruit flies to see if they could be aggressive to one another. Researchers used two strains of fruit flies to observe the flies’ behavior. They separated the insects into five groups – two groups of flies that were fully fed throughout the experiment, one group that was fed for 24 hours, another group fed for 48 hours, and the third group remained food-deprived for 72 hours. After this time, pairs of flies from each group were placed together in a container with a food source for five hours. The flies in each group became more aggressive after 24 hours without food. They started chasing each other around the food source and fencing each other with their legs.
The study also examined the role of a gene called nervy in the production of aggression in fruit flies. Researchers found that male flies who lacked this gene were significantly more aggressive than normal fruit flies. While the nervy gene is not responsible for making the moment-to-moment decision of fighting, it is associated with the ability of a fly to react to environmental cues.
