Vinegar fly

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The vinegar fly (Drosophila melanogaster) is the most common species (kind) of insect belonging to the fruit fly family. These are the most important and most frequently used experimental animal in heredity research. In agriculture, the insect is a major pest. It mainly attacks fruits of all kinds that have gone into fermentation and lays its eggs there. The rapid reproduction can cause great damage. A female lays 15 to 25 eggs per day and 500 to almost 1,000 eggs during her lifetime, which develop into larvae within 24 hours. These live on yeasts and bacteria. Within two weeks (in warm climates in only eight days), a generation (from egg to egg) with three larval stages is passed through. Hibernation takes place as a pupa. On the vine, the flies can transmit microorganisms such as acetobacter (acetic acid bacteria) on damaged berries, causing vinegar rot. The insect can also cause acetic souring in the cellar during fermentation.

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Vinegar fly

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