Fruit fly larvae are the babies of those annoying little flies that hover around your bananas. Adults lay eggs on rotting fruit. Boom—in 24 hours, you get larvae.
They’re not worms. They’re maggots, but the cute, fruity kind. Well, “cute” is a stretch. Let’s say fascinating.
Each larva is about 3 to 5 millimeters long. That’s smaller than a grain of uncooked rice. You could fit dozens on your pinky nail.
The gross-but-cool life cycle
These babies eat nonstop. They chow down on yeast and sugars in fermenting fruit. It’s like a non-stop pizza party for them.
After just five days, they transform. They turn into pupae—little brown capsules stuck to the side of your trash can. Then, poof, they become adult flies.
In two weeks, one larva becomes a fly that lays 500 eggs. That’s exponential chaos. Your fruit bowl is a baby factory.
