Grass Fly of the Family Chloropinae Causing a Stir in Local Bathrooms

Eye catching headline aside, the grass fly depicted in the first photo below has caught the attention of sharp eyed observers in area bathrooms.  I've seen one too, and, yes, you guessed it, in a bathroom next to a fruit field.

Why the concern?  Because it looks somewhat like the fig fruit fly, Zaprionus indianus, which IS a Drosophila pest of berries and IS NOT YET in California but sure can be because it's moving towards us from the east coast.

Fortunately, we can count on the bug id skills of our entomology Farm Advisor, Alejandro del Pozo, who took care of assuaging our rising concern that this bathroom dweller could be the next LBAM or SWD.

Keep the pictures and questions coming so we can get the drop on these issues yet when they are small and manageable.

Grass fly of the insect family Chloropinae. Photo courtesy of Central Coast agricultural professional.

Fig fruit fly, Zaprionus indianus.

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