Latin: Piophila casei. Also called the meat skipper.
Cheese fly, adult and larvae
The small dark cheese skippers lay their eggs in dairy products, meat products and in excrements. Each female lays up to 500 eggs, which are placed in crevices directly in food or in the vicinity of food. At 27-32 ° C the eggs hatch in one day and the newly hatched larvae dig further into the food.
The larvae are 8 mm long and are called jumpers because they have an amazing ability to jump. They do it by doubling up, biting their own tails, tighten the muscles and then just let go. They can easily jump 15-20 cm into the air. The full-grown larvae leave the food and pupate in dark corners or crevices nearby.
The pupal stage lasts 6 – 8 days at temperatures between 25 and 30 ° C. The larvae are not easy to exterminate in foods where poison cannot be directly applied on them. They can live for hours at 50 ° C and up to three days at temperatures below 15 ° C. The full-grown larvae can survive for six months at 9-10 ° C.