Are Fruit Flies Harmful to Humans? Discover Shocking Facts!

Battling tiny, pesky fruit flies in your home can often feel like a relentless struggle. It’s common to wonder whether these small insects are simply a nuisance or if they present a real health threat.

This blog is perfect for anyone who has noticed fruit flies in their kitchen or bathroom and is curious about their impact on human health. ‘Are Fruit Flies Harmful to Humans?’ Our comprehensive guide explores the hidden dangers of fruit flies and how they can affect your well-being. 

1. Are Fruit Flies Dangerous to Humans? 

Fruit flies do pose a risk to human health. These tiny insects are known to spread bacteria, which can lead to infectious diseases. 

Contact with fruit flies might cause skin irritation or allergic reactions. 

Furthermore, when these flies land on our meals, they might contaminate the food. Ingesting such contaminated food can lead to symptoms of food poisoning, including vomiting, stomach pain, diarrhea, and nausea. 

Additionally, fruit fly eggs and larvae, commonly found on decaying produce, carry similar health hazards. These eggs are often tiny and overlooked, leading to unintentional consumption. 

Thus, ingestion of fly eggs or larvae can result in food poisoning. It’s important to note that even dead fruit flies and their remnants can be detrimental to your health. 

2. What Diseases Do Fruit Flies Carry? 

Fruit flies and their larvae carry some health risks, though the chance of getting sick from them is generally low. It’s good to know what issues they might cause: 

• Skin infections and allergies 
• Myiasis (infection from larvae in body tissue) 
• High fever 
• Stomach pain 
• Food poisoning symptoms like vomiting, nausea 
• Diarrhea 
• Breathing problems 
• Swelling in the skin or face 
• Facial swelling (edema) 
• Unplanned weight loss 
• Random body aches 
• Possible severe hearing and vision loss 
• Loss of smell (Anosmia) 
• Epidemic pink eye (conjunctivitis) 
• Typhoid fever 
• Cholera 
• Salmonella infection 
• Tuberculosis 
• Stomach flu (Gastroenteritis) 
• Dysentery (severe diarrhea with blood) 
• Leprosy 

Contact with fruit fly larvae might cause anything from mild allergies to severe fever. Diarrhea and food poisoning-like symptoms, such as vomiting and nausea, are common. A notable infection mainly caused by these maggots is myiasis, where larvae infest human tissues, potentially leading to conditions like deafness, eye infections, and loss of smell. While fruit fly maggots can be easier to eliminate, they pose a significant health risk due to the potential for serious bodily infestation. 

3. What Are the Symptoms of Fruit Fly Diseases? 

Can you get sick from fruit flies? Here are the symptoms of the diseases that fruit flies might carry: 

Typhoid Fever: 

• Loss of appetite 
• Severe headaches 
• High fever (about 104°F or 40°C) 
• Abdominal pain 
• Lethargy, leading to a drop in physical and emotional activities 

Cholera: 

• Fishy odor, watery diarrhea 
• Vomiting 
• Unusual or fast heart rate 
• Dry mouth 
• Low blood pressure

Salmonella: 

• Bloody stools and painful bowel movements 
• Fever, colds, and headaches 
• Stomach cramps 
• Diarrhea and vomiting 

Tuberculosis: 

• Persistent cough for weeks, sometimes coughing up blood 
• Chest pains, difficulty breathing 
• Uncontrolled weight loss, fatigue 
• Night sweats and random fevers 

Gastroenteritis: 

• Watery diarrhea 
• Nausea and vomiting 
• Mild fever, muscle aches, and headaches 

Epidemic Conjunctivitis (EKC): 

• Red or pink eyes, swollen eyelids 
• Light sensitivity, blurred vision 
• Eye pain, sensation of something in the eye 
• Clear, watery discharge or uncontrolled tearing 

Dysentery: 

• Watery diarrhea, possibly with mucus or blood 
• Abdominal pain, body aches, fever 
• Rapid dehydration 
• Weight loss, nausea, vomiting 
• Rectal pain during bowel movements 

These symptoms vary depending on the disease and its severity, but they generally include gastrointestinal distress, fever, and other bodily discomforts. If you suspect you have contracted any of these illnesses, it’s important to seek medical attention. 

4. 3 Reasons Why You Should Worry About Fruit Flies at Home 

Here are three reasons why you should be concerned about fruit flies in your home:

Fruit Flies Are Often Found Resting on Various Items Such as Towels or Toothbrushes 

Fruit flies might not only feed and breed in damp places like bathroom drains but also land on and rest on personal items like towels and toothbrushes. Any item they touch, including your toothbrush, can become a breeding ground for bacteria.

Imagine the risk when you use a toothbrush that’s been a resting place for fruit flies – you could be unknowingly inviting bacteria into your mouth! 

Fruit Flies Contaminate Many Things in the Kitchen 

These tiny pests are more than just a nuisance in the kitchen; they can contaminate your food with bacteria they carry from dirty places like trash cans.

Fruit flies can transport harmful bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli, potentially contaminating your food, utensils, and surfaces. Anything left open or even freshly cleaned cookware can become a hotbed for these bacteria, leading to health risks for anyone consuming the affected food. 

Fruit Flies Like Natural Fermentation Food 

Fruit flies have a keen sense of smell and are particularly attracted to the glycerol or glycerin produced in the natural fermentation process of foods. This includes items commonly found in homes, like white bread, beer, wine, and syrups.

Their attraction to these foods means that any fermenting products or leftovers in your home could be a target, leading to an infestation and the associated risks of contamination and spoilage. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, while they may be small, fruit flies carry significant health risks that answer the question: Are fruit flies harmful to humans? From contaminating food to spreading disease, these tiny pests are more than just a nuisance.

We hope this guide has illuminated the dangers and provided you with strategies to protect your home. For more insights and effective pest control tips, keep exploring more blogs from Pestweek. Stay informed, stay safe, and transform your space into a pest-free haven! 

Calina Mabel

Calina Mabel has over 15 years of experience in the field of journalism and communications. Currently, Calina Mabel is the Content Writer for categories such as Cockroach, Ants, Bed Bugs, Mosquito, Rodent, Termite, and Flies on Pestweek.com. She aims to build content for these categories with a focus on providing valuable and accessible information to readers, in order to create the world’s largest knowledge community about Pests.

All content written by Calina Mabel has been reviewed by Emily Carter.