Adult QFF are typically about 7 millimetres long and are reddish-brown in colour, with distinct yellow markings.
Fruit fly are often not discovered until fruit is cut open and a visual inspection detects creamy – white maggots burrowing inside.
Other indicators of QFF activity include the detection of small puncture marks or stings on the skin of fruit. These marks are left from female fruit fly after the laying of eggs and prematurely ripen the fruit.
The QFF’s rapid breeding cycle can lead to significant population growth over a short period. There are four stages in the QFF life cycle: egg, maggot (larva), pupa and adult fly.