How To Kill Maggots in Your Trash Can

Last updated on November 20th, 2023 at 12:01 pm

You will most likely come across a maggot infestation during summers when the temperature is high and humidity, it provides them an ideal situation to breed in. Garbage rots fast in the heat and causes bad smell around the area, making it even more vulnerable to maggots.

Maggots are basically fly larvae that hatch from eggs under bad and unhygienic circumstances of waste material, rotten food that also causes methane gas. Flies get attracted to these conditions and lay eggs on the waste, providing maggots food source once they hatch from eggs. But no one likes to admit that maggots are common problems in garbage cans. However, there are certain measures that can be taken to eliminate the chances of them growing any further.

How To Get Rid Of Maggots From Your Trash Can

It is easier to get rid of maggots when the trash can is empty, otherwise, the garbage itself would become a hindrance on its own whilst removing maggots. It is also important to clean the can once the maggots have been removed since flies can return back and repopulate all over again.

You can either go for expensive products that can get costly, or you could choose an easier method that requires a bit of an effort but proves to be successful. All you need to do for this is to boil water and turn it over on the maggots in an empty trash can. But this is not the end of it, you will be required to do more than just this.

The cycle of life for flies is short, which means they grow at a faster rate and repopulate at an even faster pace. This is why if you don’t take precautions for later onwards, you are most likely to face this situation again. In case your bin is dirty, then you must clean it thoroughly till it gets spotless. You can either do it for yourself or opt for cleaning services. If you choose to do this all by yourself, then you’ll be requiring a brush, scrub and some soapy water.

The most common way to ensure that your bin gets maggot free is to get jumbo-sized trash bags that can be placed in the bin, upon removing the bag maggots and trash, both get dumped at the same time. By incorporating this, you will have a flawless garbage can, maggot free and clean.

What’s left to do is to line the trash can with the bag and then apply an elastic band over it to make sure it does not slip off. It’ll keep the trash bag in position and keep the components from within the bin from mixing up with the cans plastic/metal.

Additional Preventions To Take To Keep Maggots Out Of Your Outdoor Trash Can

You can take extra precautions to make sure that you stay maggot free and for that, you can ensure that no food item goes into the trash can without being covered. Open food items are an invitation to flies to lay eggs on there. For example, if you are throwing away your meat, then make sure to wrap it up in something and then throw it away. Another tip is to place the garbage can under a shade, away from sunlight and heat. Since heat and humidity are the breeding ground for flies and larvae, it’s best to prevent that from happening. By putting it under a shaded area, you’ll be decreasing the temperature of your bin and that’ll act as one of the repelling factors for flies.

Clean the garbage can regularly, without any gaps. Since dirty places are more vulnerable to getting infested with flies. Not just that, leave your bin open from time to time so that your trash doesn’t start sweltering. If you already have a bin that has been infested with maggots, then you must not wait any longer and try to get rid of them as soon as possible. If you delay it, the larvae might grow into flies and the cycle will continue to live on for long.

With a transformation rate as high as that, its advisable to look into the matter proactively rather than to wait it out to get worse.

People prefer opting for trash cans that have lids on them due to the main reason for other animals or insects entering the trash can. Always invest in a fly spray as a backup, you never know when you might need it in handy, especially during the hotter months. Another factor to take into consideration is how diapers, scraps or stinky trash should be covered before being thrown into the trash at all costs.

Other Methods To Get Rid Of Maggots In Your Trash Can

Apart from using boiling water and scrubbing to remove maggots, there are a few other remedies that you can apply to get rid of maggots:

Since maggots are slimy, they dislike sand. And when you pour sand over them, in the garbage can they will die eventually. Another way to get rid of them is to use chlorine. This is a more intense approach, but it works in all cases. By pouring a significant amount of chlorine over maggots and on the walls of the trash can, you’ll kill the larvae and maggots, once and for all.

Similarly to snails, maggots despise contact with salt. As it causes a reaction within their body that causes them to melt away. And by pouring large amounts of salt over them, you’ll be vaporizing them. Last but not least, one of the simplest ways to get rid of them without having to clean up afterward is to insert a mothball in a pantyhose and insert it within the bin. This repels maggots very badly and would result in them leaving the premises. They will literally abandon it.

Keep all these factors in mind and you will stay maggot free. Not only will that keep your bin clean, but your house and neighborhood clean as well. One infestation invites another and that leads to a series of different issues.

Conclusion

To sum up, you need to maintain a clean and healthy environment in order to prevent the harvest of these fly eggs around your home, as prevention is considered to be better than cure. So, just follow these simple advice and you’ll never gag at the garbage ever again. No more smells. No more flies. No more maggots in the trash can and no more scrubbing. Say goodbye to the mess and maggots forever.