Adult female flies pierce the outer flesh of small papaya fruits, depositing their eggs inside the fruit where the eggs hatch into larvae (see photo below). Larvae-infested fruits yellow unevenly and easily fall off the tree. The larvae eventually eat a hole through the fruit wall and drop to the ground where they pupate in the soil at the base of the tree. Two to six weeks later, a new generation of flies emerges and the cycle repeats itself.
We minimize papaya fruit fly infestations by disrupting its life cycle. Once a week, each tree is shaken (not too hard) so that any infested fruits fall to the ground. These fruits are then collected and placed underwater to destroy the larvae before they can pupate.
Click here for more photos and detailed information from the University of Florida. Below are several photos taken on our farm.
An infected fruit
Larvae in fruit
Pupa stage in soil under tree
