Illustration by NASA

• Adult fly is 1/8 inch long (3-4 mm)
• Feathery bristle ("plumose") antennae
• One pair of relatively large wings that overlap when the fly is at rest
• Cross vein in wing

Humpbacked fly or phorid fly
(Megaselia scalaris)

• Larva feeds on yeast & fungi in semiliquid, fermenting or vinegary foods, esp. overripe fruits & vegetables
• Found around fermenting produce like bananas, peaches, tomatoes, potatoes; also around fermented or vinegary liquids like beer, wine, vinegar, cider, ketchup, pickle juice
• Other sites: sour mops, dirty garbage cans, recycling bins, drip pans, clogged floor drains or traps, slop sinks, "empty" cans or bottles, animal feces

• Common pest of restaurants and bars
• Can be major pest in food processing plants, canneries, breweries, wineries
• Larva is eyeless, legless, white maggot
• Larva crawls to drier location to pupate
• Newly emerged adult is attracted to light
• Adult tends to hover in small circles
• Life cycle may be as short as 8-10 days
• Can contaminate food