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Flies are attracted to beer as much as the rest of us, and now researchers are providing a plausible explanation for the behavior. 

According to the study, beer yeasts produce chemicals that mimic the smells of fruits. After the insect has landed on yeast cells in the wild, the tiny organisms often become stuck to the body of the fly, and eventually are transported to place where they can find new food sources and multiply.

"The importance of yeast in beer brewing has long been underestimated. But recent research shows that the choice of a particular yeast strain or variety explains differences in taste between different beers and wines. In fact, yeasts may even be responsible for much of the 'terroir,' the connection between a particular growing area and wine flavor, which previously often was attributed to differences in the soil," Kevin Verstrepen of the Flanders Institute for Biotechnology (VIB) said in the press release.

"We all know that flowers attract insects by producing aromas. But there's also a lot of microbes living inside flowers, and the chemicals they produce may also play an important role," Joaquin Christiaens from VIB stated in a press release.

The research was published in the journal Cell Reports.