Local fruit fly information

Fruit Fly control in Illinois

Learn what to look for around your property, explore your city, and ask about an inspection or a quote.

Fruit Flies in Illinois: what to know

Around Illinois

Conditions vary across the state. Choose your city below, then describe what’s happening around your home or business.

What to note

Where you see fruit flies, how long it has been going on, and anything you’ve already tried are the most useful details to mention.

A useful next step

Ask about an inspection, what treatment would involve, and whether follow-up visits are included. You don’t need to identify the problem yourself before getting in touch.

Local research

Fruit Flies in Illinois: what the public record shows

Before you compare quotes, it helps to know which fruit flies actually live in Illinois, when they are busiest, and what the state figures look like. Everything below links to the agency or university page it came from.

Detected in Illinois in 2012, and "confirmed in 26 Illinois counties since its first detection in 2012," though it is "suspected to be present in much of the state"

Spotted wing drosophila detected in Illinois

Illinois homeowners with raspberries, blackberries or grapes should assume the pest is present locally even outside the 26 confirmed counties.

University of Illinois Extension (The Garden Scoop, Ryan Pankau)

Adults are "around 2 to 3 millimeters in size," flies "can lay up to 25 eggs a day," and larvae take "11 to 80 days to complete development and have up to 10 generations per year"

Reproductive rate and generations

Up to ten generations a season is why a single infested planting can supply fruit flies to a household all summer and fall.

University of Illinois Extension

"Good sanitation is key to controlling SWD. Always remove and destroy infested or fallen fruit." Eggs hatch in about 12 to 72 hours and larvae feed for about 5 to 7 days; fruit should be refrigerated immediately after harvest

Illinois Extension sanitation guidance

A 12-to-72-hour egg hatch means produce left on an Illinois kitchen counter for two days can already be producing larvae.

University of Illinois Extension (The Garden Scoop, Ryan Pankau)

When fruit flies are busiest in Illinois

Illinois indoor fruit fly pressure peaks in late summer and autumn as garden produce, pumpkins and sweet corn come indoors; outdoors, spotted wing drosophila can run up to ten generations per year according to Illinois Extension.

University of Illinois Extension emphasises sanitation as the primary control: remove and destroy infested or fallen fruit, harvest regularly, and refrigerate fruit immediately after harvest. Extension also advises fruit sampling by picking at least 15 ripe fruits into a plastic bag with a salt solution to float out larvae.

For context, nationally

8 to 10 days egg to adult — Life cycle length. University of Maryland Extension
As few as 8 days — Fastest life cycle under optimum conditions. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension

Sources: University of Illinois Extension (The Garden Scoop, Ryan Pankau); University of Illinois Extension; University of Maryland Extension; Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. Figures are quoted as the source prints them. How we check our sources

Explore Illinois cities

Arlington Heights

Humid Continental · suburban setting

Fruit Fly control in Illinois

Fruit Flies in Illinois: what to know

Around Illinois

What to note

A useful next step

Fruit Flies in Illinois: what the public record shows

When fruit flies are busiest in Illinois

For context, nationally

Explore Illinois cities

Arlington Heights

Aurora

Berwyn

Bloomington

Bolingbrook

Champaign

Chicago

Cicero

Decatur

Des Plaines

Elgin

Evanston

Joliet

Naperville

Oak Lawn

Palatine

Peoria

Rockford

Schaumburg

Skokie

Springfield

Waukegan

Downers Grove

Ask about fruit fly control in Illinois