If left alone, fruit flies may live for weeks. This is likely due to their quick reproductive rates and the fact that they are cold blooded, which means that it’s not necessary to expend energy on generating body heat like its warm-blooded counterparts.
Pheromones provide one of the first defenses against external predators because they allow them to alert each other of new dangers. When a female fruit fly detects another individual’s pheromone signature she flies away, but males who detect this signature interpret it as an invitation to mate and follow the unfamiliar female until she is exhausted or dies from exhaustion .