The gnat as well as the fruit fly have 4 stages in their life cycle: egg, larva, pupa, adult. Although many gnats do not bite humans, some species’ female populations do. They're fruit flies. Quick Check! Gnats are also attracted to decaying organic material, wheres fruit flies only feed on produce. The various species share some similar characteristics, including their tiny size and ability to fly. Gnats can often be confused with fruit flies. Because gnats breed frequently, addressing … If you're dealing with pesky gnats or fruit flies in and around your home, try these expert tips for getting rid of them. However, they belong to very distinct families within that order. Fungus Gnats – are small flies that erratically bounce through the air. If you throw away the trash regularly then this should solve the pest issue in a … They aren’t gnats at all. Common fruit flies fall under two families, Tephritidae and Drosophila. Life Cycle of Fruit Flies Fungus Gnats. Fungus gnats are dark and have long legs, fruit flies are brown and round, and drain flies have moth-like wings and are attracted to water. The differences come about in the details. Gnats are small flying insects that include fungus gnats, fruit flies, and drain flies. Depending on the species of gnat, they may lay their eggs in damp soil and other organic material such as fruit, or in your drains, and even in animal carcasses. You need to take a slightly different approach with fruit flies. As you might expect, gnats can be vectors of disease. Traveling Together. Fruit flies typically appear from decaying matter in warm, humid conditions. The larger and more colorful types are found in the Tephritidae family and the smaller ones belong to Drosophilidae. Many gnats are attracted by moisture to lay their eggs. Here are a few tips for identifying and stopping these three pesky flies. Fruit flies tend to be bigger/fatter and easier to see than tiny fungus gnats. A fungus gnat is much smaller than a fruit fly and has a tiny black body (while fruit flies are commonly tan and have very visible bodies). If you are dealing with the latter then it’s important to throw away the trash on a regular basis. But which one do you have? Fruit flies very rarely stay together in larger groups, but gnats will always swarm a waste together. Here are some of the key differences between regular fruit flies and gnats that you can easily recognize. Fungus Gnats. Fungus Gnats vs Fruit Flies. So unless you have a big bowl of fruit out in the open, you won’t be noticing more than a few of these fruit flies. Fungus gnat adults are less than one-eighth inch long, brown or black with light colored legs and have a … Here are a few tips for identifying and stopping these three pesky flies. Make sure you have fungus gnats and not fruit flies.Fruit flies are brown/yellow/orange while fungus gnats are dark brown or black. 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