How Fruit Flies Are Attracted to Humans
WouterThe fruit fly is a seasonal pest that can be both annoying and unwelcome. Laurie Stevison, an assistant professor at Auburn University’s Department of Biological Sciences, offers tips on how to control and prevent fruit flies from infesting your home. In addition, she discusses some of the benefits of fruit flies as a pest control agent.
The social behavior of fruit flies is categorized into two categories: aggression and sociability. Aggression refers to the tendency of a fly to engage in aggressive behavior towards another insect. Sociability, on the other hand, refers to an animal’s tendency to engage in friendly interactions with its conspecifics, including feeding together, traveling in groups, and resting communally. Researchers have studied fruit fly aggression for years, including genetic and neurobiological studies.
Researchers have shown that fruit flies respond to many of the same tastes as humans do. But their taste receptors are different. For example, fruit flies have a taste receptor that responds to acidity. Recently, researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara found that this receptor belongs to the same family as human sour receptors.
To avoid attracting fruit flies, avoid buying and eating over-ripe and over-fermented produce. Also, avoid leaving ripe fruit out on counters. This may contain fruit flies’ eggs. In addition, make sure you empty your trashcan regularly and rinse cans before recycling them.
