Many customers across the Wirral are having problems with maggots in their bins. We decided to put this together to help. đź‘Ť
What Is a Maggot?
A maggot is the larvae of a fly.
A fly lays eggs. These eggs turn into larvae (maggots). The larvae become flies. The cycle continues as these flies lay more eggs, and so on…
Where Do Maggots Come From?
Flies lay eggs, which turn into maggots. “Maggot” is another word for larva. After a pupal stage, maggots turn into flies. Sometimes, it seems that maggots come from nowhere. Actually, it just means you didn’t notice the flies or their eggs. Flies lays hundreds of eggs at a time! They will start to hatch within a day.
A Fly’s Life Cycle
- A female lives about a month, during which time she lays from 500 to 2,000 eggs in batches of about 75 to 150 at a time.
- A day after the eggs are laid, the maggots will appear.
- We usually see them in this first stage while they are still 3-9 mm long and whitish in color (however, they can grow to be 20 mm).
- Maggots feed for 3 to 5 days. There are larval and pupal stages, and it takes approximately 14 to 36 days for the eggs to morph into flies.
The fly will lay its eggs anywhere it feels like the maggots will be safe and well-fed. This is why it’s so common to see them in old or rotting food. The maggots need to eat non-stop so the fly will always lay the eggs where there is food. Your wheelie bin is the perfect environment.
What Do Maggots Like to Eat?
Maggots like meat—leftovers, discards, pet food, any old meat will do. They eat to fuel their growth until they pupate. Over the years, we have discovered that chicken leftovers are the most popular for them to feed on. Raw chicken is especially favored but chicken scraps or even the tray in which it was cooked can be just as bad.
How to Prevent Flies (and Maggots)
- Store food leftovers in sealed containers before placing in the kitchen bin, food bags or doggy bags are perfect. Tie your garbage bags tightly before transferring to your wheelie bin. Note that draw string waste bags don’t seal fully when tied which leaves an entry point for flies.
- Flies will lay their eggs in your pet’s food as well, so make sure you change their food fully and again bags it off in a food bag, in this case the eggs will already we on the food so best to contain it to stop it spreading once in the bin.
- If you have a dog, be sure to tie off the dog poop. DO NOT put straight in the bin. Its a health hazard for the bin men and can result in a fine.
- Clean your bin regularly, obviously we can help with this if reading from the Wirral – UK | BOOK BIN CLEANING HERE
How to Get Rid of Maggots (and Flies)
We will always do our best to remove them at time of cleaning but if you get them between cleans here are some ideas to help.
- Pour boiling water over maggots to kill them instantly. If you want, you can add a cup of bleach and 1 1/2 cups of hydrogen peroxide to 5 litres of boiling water.
- Dish soap works great as an insect repellent and/or insecticide. Most dish soaps contain a little borax, which is the active ingredient.
- Natural fly repellent’s include vodka, aromatic herbs like lavender, basil, and bay leaf, lemongrass oil, cloves, witch hazel, apple cider vinegar, and camphor or citronella.
- If you choose to get rid of them chemically, use a product which contains permethrin, a chemical that is used as an insecticide. For example, Raid, which we’re all probably familiar with, is a popular insecticide that is used in households.
- Get some fly paper, place it near the bin.
Stay Maggot-Free!
To sum it up: Bag all food waste, ESPECIALLY CHICKEN!! Your bins will always smell bad after two weeks but if the flies cant get to the food that is in it then they will move on to the next bin. They will only lay eggs if they have access to food/protein once hatched.
Hope this helps đź‘Ť