The lifespan of a maggot is 15 to 30 days. Though they live for such a short time, an excessive maggot infestation in your wheelie bins is less than ideal.
This is not an uncommon pest problem during the summer months, but what causes it and what’s the solution?
A dirty bin might be to blame. Read on to learn about how to get rid of maggots.
What’s a Maggot?
Maggots are fly larvae. A female lays 75 to 250 eggs at a time. The surviving eggs hatch after a day, and what hatches are the maggot larvae.
Once the maggots develop, they feed for three to five days in their larval and pupal stages. After they feed, they develop into flies in 14 days.
Preventing Maggots in Your Wheelie Bin
Flies love rubbish and rotting food. If you see an abundance of flies around or in your wheelie bin, it will only be a matter of hours until maggots hatch.
To prevent development, make sure you bag your rubbish with care. Tie the bags tight and place them in a bin with a lid. If flies can’t get into your bins, they can’t lay eggs.
Discourage fly maggots in your home by covering any food and double-bagging any food waste you place in your kitchen bin.
How to Kill Maggots
Since their lifecycles are so rapid, once you see maggots you can bet there are already more eggs waiting to hatch.
The maggot larvae develop into adult flies, those adult flies lay eggs, and the cycle repeats itself.
One of the most important steps to kill maggots and stop this cycle is frequent bin cleaning. While bin cleaning is not a glamorous job, it’s essential to stop your infestation.
Bin Cleaning Tips
Small maggot issues can be solved with home bin cleaning methods. The key to cleaning your wheelie bins and killing maggots is not just to clean and kill what you see, but what you can’t see as well.
1. Remove Rubbish
Remove all the rubbish bags from your bin and set them aside. If you can, deliver the rubbish to the tip or leave it for your regular collection day. This prevents any eggs on your rubbish bags from hatching.
2. Boiling Water
Boiling water kills all maggots alive and the microscopic eggs waiting to hatch. Boil water on your stovetop and pour it into your bin.
Scrub the sides with a sponge mop or similar tool and let the hot water sit for half an hour.
3. Disinfect
Dump the hot water and the maggot corpses. After your bin is clear, scrub with a mixture of one part distilled white vinegar and two parts water.
The vinegar solution kills any bacteria and deodorises your can to make it less attractive to flies. Flies hate vinegar.
Once you finish this step, let the bin air dry.
Call a Professional
Sometimes a maggot problem is too big, or you might have too many bins to clean.
You might not want to get your hands dirty. That’s ok. We know it’s a dirty job and someone has to do it.
That’s us! We’re here to do your dirty work. Contact us today for a quote.
