The warm weather is wonderful, everything looks and feels brighter. Unfortunately, there are a few downsides, and maggots taking over your rubbish bins is one of them.
Maggots are hatched from fly larvae and although they are pretty harmless to us humans, they reproduce at a very fast rate and can quickly take over warm and moist areas with food scraps, particularly rotting meat and fish.
Getting Rid Of Existing Maggots
You may be relieved to know that tackling an existing maggot issue is relatively simple when you follow these steps:
- Get rid of the bin bag as soon as possible
- Pour a kettle of boiling water over the maggots, this will kill them
- Use a disinfectant and thoroughly clean the bin
- Make sure the bin lid is left firmly shut
Preventing Further Maggot Issues
Flies will always be attracted to bins but there are a few things you can do to make it harder for maggots to invade:
- Rinse food packets before binning them, even the recyclable containers
- Cover any food in your kitchen and use fly repellents in your home. There are sprays you can get that are both cheap and effective
- Try to empty your bins as often as you can
- Store your rubbish bin in a cool, shaded area if possible
- Try to keep food scraps concealed and stored elsewhere other than the bin until bin day
- Use bins that close tight and avoid overloading the bins. Swing bins are not a good choice
- Make sure nappies and pet waste are wrapped before being placed in the bin. This also applies to any fish or meat leftovers