Can you imagine anything more nauseating than finding maggots in your dustbin? We certainly can’t. When bins are left open, flies can smell your food scraps and will be attracted to the shelter your dustbin provides for laying their eggs. It also provides their larvae with food, giving them a better chance at survival. While the larvae will turn into flies in about 24 hours and fly away if the bin is left open, it’s recommended you get rid of the infestation as they can be a health risk. Here are a few tips on what to do when you have an infestation, and how to keep your dustbin maggot-free.
1. Put on some gloves
You will be working with some harsh disinfectants during the cleaning process, so it’s a good idea to protect your hands. You also don’t want to touch any of the maggots. While it is pretty gross, it can also be a health hazard.
2. Empty out the bin
If you can, wait until garbage collection day to empty out the infected dustbin. Make sure to empty it out into a bin bag that can be tightly secured to keep all the maggots contained, and send it away with the garbage collectors. Otherwise take it to your closest rubbish dump.
3. Pour boiling water on any remaining maggots
Boil a kettle and pour the boiling water over any maggots that remained in the bin. This will ensure there are none left alive. Just be careful not to burn yourself!
4. Disinfect your bin
To wash out your bin and ensure it is disinfected, you can either use a good quality bleach or a solution of one part vinegar to three parts boiling water. This will kill any unhatched eggs.
5. Rinse the bin
After disinfecting the bin, wash it out with the hose to get rid of any soap suds and dead eggs.
6. Dry the bin completely
Either dry the bin with kitchen towels or let it air dry before moving on to the next step. Make sure it is totally dry or you risk creating a mouldy, smelly bin.
7. Use bin bags
Put a bin bags in the dustbin. This will make emptying the bin much easier and it will keep it cleaner.
8. Ensure the bin closes properly
By making sure the bin is always properly closed, flies won’t be able to get inside. You should avoid swing bins for this reason.
9. Empty the kitchen bin every day
The longer food scraps remain in your dustbin, the bigger the chances are of maggots hatching. Empty the kitchen bin into your outside refuse bin every day, and make sure both are properly closed at all times.
10. Get a smaller dustbin in the kitchen
By getting a smaller dustbin in the kitchen, you will be forced to get into the good habit of emptying it out more frequently.
11. Rinse/clean out food packaging before throwing them away
Rinsing and cleaning out food packaging will eliminate smells that attract flies, making the chances of maggots hatching that much smaller.
As with all common household pests, prevention is the easiest way to keep them out of your home. While maggots are actually just fly larvae, it’s still a pretty disgusting find and can required
pest control services to eliminate them. Regular cleaning and general good hygiene goes a long way to keeping your dustbin maggot free. Make sure to wash your hands whenever you’ve handled garbage!