A number of fruit fly maggots may be found in a single piece of fruit or vegetable. If just one female becomes an adult, it can lay up to 800 eggs in its lifetime. Because of the fly’s rapid breeding cycle, this can result in a population of over 700,000 flies in one season. If unchecked, these flies can quickly disperse through a fruit or vegetable production area and result in unsaleable crops and loss of markets, as well as requiring expensive measures to bring the pest under control.