Have you been spotting maggots (fly larvae) in and around your home? Are they back every time you clean them? Are you struggling to kill maggots and keep them away from your home?
You might have tried numerous solutions and tricks to get rid of them. However, have you considered if you could be encouraging them? Could it be what you are doing that is attracting them?
Puzzled? Here, let us break it down for you.
Maggots are not found everywhere. They need a conducive environment to grow in.
Maggots are nothing but the larvae of flies. You can find flies swarming in your trash bag when you open them, and this is where they could lay eggs, causing maggot infestations.
Could you be causing this? What are you doing or not doing to cause this infestation?
Let’s find out.
What Causes Maggots In The House? It Could Be These 5 Things
Here are five things that we all usually do around our house that can cause maggots. We’ve also added some ideas for what you can do instead to get rid of maggots.
Low-Quality Trash Cans
It is a can to hold the trash in. Why would you require a high-quality can for this? The trash is going into the trash bag, and the bag will sit in the can until you dispose of it.
Won’t a low cost do the trick?
No, unfortunately, this is the number one problem that can attract maggots.
A well-sealed trash can does not allow the flies to enter. This prevents mating and laying of eggs, which can later develop into maggots.
What You Can Do To Get Rid Of Them
Invest in good-quality trash cans that have an excellent seal. Ensure it closes well every time you press that peddle to throw some trash.
Leaving it open is asking for trouble.
Pets
Who doesn’t love a dog or a cat to cuddle us and help us relax at the end of the day?
While you have been at work all day, your pet might have been out and about, attracting these maggots and bringing them back into your home.
If they have an open wound, it can be an excellent breeding ground for maggots. This is where flies can lay their eggs.
Their toe joints are a good spot too.
This can lead to a maggot infestation, followed by a fly infestation if not corrected.
What You Can Do To Get Rid Of Them
Check your pets regularly for any hard lumps under their skin. Check them for wounds, no matter how tiny they can be.
Clean the wounds, keep their fur clean.
If there are too many maggots on them, take them to a vet.
A veterinarian can get rid of those maggots efficiently without affecting your fur baby.
Garden
If you have a garden, you will spend some time watering it and trimming the plants once in a while. We rarely look deep into bushes or the soil.
If you spot maggots, you would scoop them up and throw them in the trash can, maybe?
If you see your plants are dying, you might spray them, right?
What You Can Do To Get Rid Of Them
Search deeper. Look around the plants and shrubs. See if there is an infestation of maggots.
You can dig up the soil around the area you see maggots. Flies lay their eggs in these areas, so it is always worth checking.
You can invest in a good spray. You can opt for a spray low in chemicals.
If you are worried about spraying other surrounding plants, dust the soil instead. This will also help get rid of those maggots.
Spraying – Treating Only Small Areas
So, you have spotted maggots in your home. You have decided to spray them and get rid of them for good.
We all get the spray and spray the spot. We are done with it, or so we think!
A few days later, you see those maggots at a different spot.
This could be because they were already breeding elsewhere, and you missed it.
Whilst this is not necessarily a reason why you have maggots in the house, it is a reason why they keep cropping up when you think you’ve got rid of them all.
A maggot infestation can spring up in random places throughout your home but is mainly concentrated in a food supply.
What You Can Do To Get Rid Of Them
When you spot a breeding ground, inspect surrounding areas. Ensure there are no eggs or maggots anywhere around.
You can spray a little more around the maggot’s site. Spray anywhere you see flies and maggots.
Maintain
All of us are busy with several things occupying our minds and time. However, it is essential to clean the area we live in. Are you guilty of leaving food all over the place? Do you not have the time to wipe down the counter after cooking?
All this could be encouraging maggots to breed around such sticky and unclean areas.
What You Can Do To Get Rid Of Them
Invest in a good sponge and a spray to clean counter-tops. Every time there is a spill, ensure you wipe it rather than leaving it for later. Ensure you wipe those food crumbs into a trash bag. If the problem persists, it is time to get a professional to do the job.
Other Reasons You Have Maggots In Your House
Here are some other reasons for maggots in your home:
If your house is not swept regularly, dust and dirt can accumulate. This is a good breeding ground for maggots.
The presence of dead rodents around your home can be a breeding ground. If you smell something off, do check it out. Do not just ignore it because it is on the outside.
It could very soon cause trouble for you on the inside.
If your trash bags are not cleared out periodically, they can be an excellent attraction for maggots. If they do pile up, ensure they are secured well.
Multiple entry points allow flies to enter. You can seal the entry points or invest in a good insect catcher.
Suppose you live above or around a restaurant or food-selling business. Their spills and trash could be attracting maggots, which could be finding their way into your home. You can prevent this from spraying those areas periodically.
Maggots are nothing attractive to look at. They can be downright repulsive to look at. Infestation of these tiny things can get out of hand very quickly. A little laziness on your part can lead to a full-blown infestation of these creatures.
Ensure you clean them out and spray the area as soon as you spot them. This is one thing you ought not to procrastinate.
Conclusion
Maggots and flies can get into most places, but they are especially drawn to areas with a ready food supply.
For instance:
- Your kitchen
- Your attic (if there is a dead rodent – this happened to me!)
- Garage
- Trash cans
- Compost
- Rotting organic matter
As long as you remove the things that attract flies and maggots, you are doing what you can to reduce the chances of having maggots in your house.
If an adult fly spots a rotting animal or another form of rotting organic matter, it lays eggs. When these eggs hatch, you will have several maggots!
If your magot infestation just won’t go away, or you are not confident in dealing with it, please consult a professional pest control company to deal with it for you.
Good luck!
