Bug FAQSpotted-winged Drosophila
Drosophila suzukii · Order: Diptera · Family: Drosophilidae
Also called: Cherry drosophila, Spotted Wing Drosophila
Source: Wikipedia
Spotted-winged Drosophila is a tiny fly about 2 to 3.5 mm long with a wingspan of 5 to 6.5 mm and red eyes. Males have a dark spot on each wing tip and dark bands on the foreleg tarsi, while females have a long serrated ovipositor for laying eggs in ripe fruit. It originated in southeast Asia and now infests fruit crops in America and Europe, laying eggs in fresh fruit rather than rotting fruit.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Body color ranges from yellow to brown with darker abdominal bands and red eyes. Females possess a long, sharp, serrated ovipositor. Larvae are small, white, cylindrical and grow to about 3.5 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults measure roughly 2 to 3.5 mm in length with a wingspan of 5 to 6.5 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Females pierce the skin of ripe fruit with their ovipositor to lay eggs, unlike relatives that prefer rotting fruit.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
In Japan up to 13 generations may occur in a single season.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Native to southeast Asia, it has become a major pest in America and Europe.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 43 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, North Carolina, Massachusetts, New York, Tennessee, Washington, Virginia, Maryland.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: introduced in Canada; introduced in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
How can I tell male and female spotted-winged Drosophila apart?
Males have a dark spot on each wing tip and dark bands on the foreleg tarsi; females lack the wing spot and have a long serrated ovipositor.
Source: Wikipedia
What fruit does spotted-winged Drosophila damage?
It attacks soft summer fruits like cherries, blueberries, raspberries, peaches, apricots, and grapes by laying eggs under the skin of ripe fruit.
Source: Wikipedia
Why is this fly called a vinegar fly?
It was initially mistaken for the western cherry fruit fly and briefly called the cherry vinegar fly, but unlike true vinegar flies it prefers fresh fruit.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Drosophilidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drosophila_suzukii
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.