Gone are the days of allowing a grumble of maggots to take over your dustbin and living space – with a few simple hacks you can find your home maggot-free in an instant.
According to the health and wellness publication Healthline, a maggot is the larval stage of what later develops into becoming a fly. These often appear in the form of small worms and feed off any organic material that they find at their disposal, which is why household rubbish is among the highest of things that are known to attract them.
“Flies are attracted to food and other rubbish; they lay their eggs on the rubbish; later the eggs hatch into maggots. You will only have a problem with maggots if flies can get to your waste,” explains an online source, Warwick District Council.
The above-mentioned source further highlights that these maggots may be able to catch in a period of as little as 24 hours.
However, there are a few effective preventative measures you can put in place to avoid this situation.
According to the UK-based publication, Wheelie Based Solutions, maggots can be prevented by:
- Keeping your bins closed – Maggots can only exist if a fly has visited your bin to lay their eggs. It is therefore important that you close the lid of your bin to prevent them from entering. Furthermore, it is also important that you do not overfill your bin.
- Empty your bin regularly – The longer your bin is full – especially with food waste, the more tempting it will be for flies.
- Clean thoroughly – It is important that you clean your bin both inside and out to get rid of smells and deter flies from visiting.
How to get rid of it, if they have already taken over?
There are several ways that you can naturally get rid of these unwanted pests without causing any harm to the environment.
Here are a few as recommended by WikiHow:
- Vinegar Solution Spray
- Leave for birds and other natural predators to eat
- Use bleach and water solution spray
- Spray an insecticide on infected area
Also see: Buzz off! Natural ways to keep flies out of your home