Do Fruit Flies Bite?

Fruit flies (drosophila melanogaster), the small flying insects which infest your kitchen when food starts to go bad, sure can be pests. But are they more than just an annoyance?Many household pests can bite or otherwise harm humans or pets. Let’s find out if fruit flies bite!

Red-eyed Fruit Fly

Do Fruit Flies Bite Humans?

Fruit flies feed on fermenting fruit and other decaying organic matter and not blood, so they would have no desire to bite a human.

But it goes beyond that!

Not only do fruit flies not want to bite humans, but they can’t bite humans. They have no teeth or biting mouthparts that could penetrate our skin for a bite or sting.

Fruit flies eat by secreting a fluid which breaks down the food to a liquid, which is then sucked up by a specialized mouthpiece. It is somewhat similar to a mosquito, but fruit flies are not able to penetrate human skin like a mosquito can.

Do Fruit Flies Bite Dogs?

Just like with humans, fruit flies are incapable of biting dogs.

Do Fruit Flies Bite Cats?

No, fruit flies also no not bite cats, or any other household pets.a

Insects Similar To Fruit Flies That Bite

Although fruit flies do not bite humans, there are other small flying insects which can bite and are sometimes mistaken for fruit flies.

For instance, so called “biting midges” are of the same order as common fruit flies (Diptera), and are relatively similar in appearance and will occasionally bite humans. Gnats are also capable of biting.

There are also other flies which can bite humans, but you can rest assured that if you are bitten it was not by a fruit fly.