Fruit Fly Facts
Fruit Fly Social Behavior
Fruit flies are widely used for biological research because they breed quickly and are easy to sustain. Notable for high egg counts and a fast reproduction cycle, a female lays around 400 eggs into rotting or decaying fruit or other material such as mushrooms. The eggs hatch within 12-15 hours with total development time averaging 8.5 days. Under crowded conditions the development time shortens significantly making an infestation occur quickly.