Among the filthiest and most nasty pests which can permeate your home are maggots. Unfortunately, despite your best efforts to keep your interior areas clean and well-maintained, you might still discover maggots in the house. The adult fly’s eggs hatch a day later, resulting in the larvae known as maggots. What’s worst? At one time, they can lay hundreds of eggs. Not the best thing to find after returning home.
Maggots can be found in a variety of places around the house, including the ceiling, kitchen floor, and garage. We’ll discuss the best methods for getting rid of maggots in your home in this article. The first phase only involves getting rid of the maggot infestation. You must make sure they never come back again. To accomplish this, you have to understand where they originate, how they grow, the best way to eliminate them, and the future preventative steps you ought to take.
Learn More About the Maggots
What are they and what do they look like?
Maggots are young flies or the fly’s larval stage. They have a conical form and are frequently creamy white or grey in color. The typical housefly or bluebottle fly is the source of the majority of maggots seen inside or around homes. Maggots are burrowers, and the most pointed end of their head is used for digging. Maggots consume both living and decaying things, depending on the type of fly. They burrow into the material and chew through it, creating circular chew marks all around.
What is the cause of maggot infestation?
Maggots are most often caused by poor trash disposal, an excess of dog waste, or the presence of a dead animal in or around your home. These things attract the female flies, who lay their eggs there. The maggots munch till they reach their following metamorphic stage by burying themselves in the material as soon as the eggs hatch.
Maggots need to be eliminated right away despite being stealthy invaders. Fly invasions and animal illness, if you have pets, are two risks associated with maggots. Bacterial poisoning may result if they penetrate any food items intended for human consumption.
How long do infestations of maggots typically last?
Only a few days are needed for maggots to eat. From egg to fly, the procedure can take anywhere between 14 and 36 days. Whereas if the material is still edible, the process may restart. The infestation will only get worse if the item is not properly disposed of.
How to know if you have maggots in the house?
Maggots are typically noticeable in the home since the majority of them are at least the size of a thumbnail. Any infected food products will have them crawling both inside and outside of them. Use a stick or gloves to stir the garbage around and break open food to look inside to see whether they are present.
Check for maggots on your pet—they’re frequently found in wounds or beneath the skin. You can also feel the spot to see whether there is a firm lump hiding under the wounded area’s flesh.
Maggots can consume plant matter. You might observe that plants that used to be healthy are perishing on their own, with no other environmental changes. Some of these plants may need to be pulled out so that you can inspect the root mass and the plant hole for maggots.
How to Get Rid of Maggots
Maggots can emerge in a variety of places around the house, yard, and, in the worst case scenario, on your pets. To permanently get rid of the bothersome pests, each situation will need a different approach. Learn how to destroy maggots by referring to the instructions below.
Eliminate Maggots at Home
Step #1: Identify all affected places.
Find every place where maggots are residing or feeding. Look through the food items in the sections of the house that are particularly unclean. Maggots may be present throughout the house if somehow the foundation of the property is deteriorating in any place.
Step #2: Exterminate eggs and maggots.
You can boil eggs and maggots together to exterminate them if you find them in foodstuff or the trash. Salting them liberally or spraying them with a pesticide are additional options. In most cases, you will need to spray if you discover them in your home’s carpeting or baseboards. For minor infestation, you can treat it with a spot spray, but if it’s larger, you might have to seek professional help.
Step #3: Thoroughly clean the area.
Get rid of the maggots by rinsing or washing the area or rubbish container. Include your trash bins in your cleaning routine. To avoid further infestations, you can utilize a fly repellent.
Remove Maggots in Your Pets
Step #1: Verify whether any maggots are detected.
Before beginning any treatment, you should confirm that your pets indeed do have maggots, as mentioned above. Look for something moving or solid lumps under the skin in current wounds as well as between toe joints.
Step #2: Bring them to the veterinarian.
The best thing you can do for your pet’s safety is to have them checked by the veterinarian. Vets will be able to eliminate the infestation and kill the maggots without harming your pet.
Step #3: Maintain cleanliness.
During the peak of the egg-laying fly season, keep your dogs clean and prevent new infestations by bathing them in pet shampoo.
Exterminate Maggots in your Yard
Step #1: Determine where the infestation is.
Even if you are aware that your yard is infested with maggots, you still need to assess the extent of the problem. Check for any big holes dug through into the root mass of plants that are suffering by digging the area surrounding them.
Step #2: Clean up the area with spray or dust.
Utilize a vegetable or fruit spray to thoroughly coat the region’s soil and eradicate the contaminated area. If you are concerned that the spray might drift, you can also clean the area with the same procedure.
How to Kill Maggots Naturally
Unlike other harmful pests, maggots are not protected by a strong outer layer to safeguard them. This makes using organic or natural methods to kill them easier. A maggot infestation can be stopped and the infected regions can be cleaned out using several natural treatments.
Empty the garbage can and get rid of the contents inside if the maggots were in it. Then, pour boiling water into the garbage can. Another solution is to lay up a big feast for the birds by leaving the garbage can outside in a location where they can easily sift through it.
Putting lime or lemon juice on areas where maggots are present will be enough to destroy them (if you discover them outside of the trash can). To ensure that all of the unhatched eggs are killed, make sure to thoroughly spray the area. Spreading diatomaceous earth over the affected area or soil is another natural cure.
How to Prevent the Infestation of Maggots
It’s essential to keep flies away from your house or yard in order to avoid a maggot infestation. Clean up any leftover food right away, and store it in airtight containers to prevent aromas from luring flies into your house. If you leave pet food outside, you might opt to keep the bowl covered to drive flies away and to make it easier to swiftly remove stale food.
To keep flies out of your compost, cover it up or seal it if you store it in your yard. Last but not least, be sure to maintain the yard free of any animal waste.
When to Seek Help from the Expert
There may come a point when the maggot infestation is uncontrollable or you simply can’t take it anymore. This may occur if the infestation has spread to multiple rooms throughout the house or when you have repeatedly tried to clean up an area but the infestation keeps coming back.
If you are not able to identify the pest, it may be difficult to treat the issue correctly and you may need to hire a specialist.
Most Commonly Asked Questions
What leads to having maggots in the house?
Maggots frequently appear inside the house when rotting food is kept out or in the trash for a long time. By swiftly throwing away spoiled or overripe food and keeping your trash can lined up and clean every day, you can prevent the infestation of maggots.
What causes maggots to suddenly appear?
The larvae of the typical housefly are called maggots. When food is left out and becomes overripe or rotten, houseflies will lay their eggs in it. As the maggot becomes larger, it will consume everything in its vicinity. The eggs of the housefly are frequently not visible until they have developed into a large, white maggot.
How do I get rid of the maggots in my home?
You should start by keeping your kitchen and house free of expired food. If you already have maggots, make sure you properly clean and sanitize the container or bowl they were found in as well as any trash they are in or on. To ensure that maggots don’t reappear, read the helpful information about how to get rid of them above.
How do I get rid of the maggots in my trash?
Always keep a trash bag or trash liner inside your rubbish bin. To prevent a big bin from getting too full, take the trash out to the dumpster frequently. To deter maggots, sprinkle several drops of powerful, fragrant essential oil around and inside your trash can.
What things should I use to kill maggots?
The easiest approach to clean up after finding maggots is with a quality cleaning product. You can also eliminate them naturally by using boric acid, lemon, and dish soap. For additional disinfection, you can also use a product that contains bleach.
