If you keep a garbage bin outside your home, it’s likely that you will encounter maggots at some point. These small fly larvae live on the remains of food and compost which is why they tend to appear there in large numbers. While they are not harmful to humans, they can be quite disturbing. That said, if you are dealing with maggots in your trash bin, it’s important that you take the right measures to get rid of them as soon as possible. To help you with that, here is everything you need to know about how to kill maggots in trash cans and prevent them from coming back again.
How To Kill Maggots In Trash Can
Keep Your Trash Can Lid Closed
The first thing you should do if you want to prevent maggots in your trash can is to keep the lid closed at all times. This will prevent other insects such as flies and mosquitos from getting inside and laying eggs there. If you see that there are already maggots inside, then the best thing to do is to put your trash can away from the house. That way, they won’t be able to get into it as easily.
Spray Or Pour Vinegar Into The Trash Can
If you have a problem with maggots in your trash can, it’s important that you kill them before they become visible to the naked eye. To do this, one of the easiest methods is by pouring vinegar into it and letting it sit for a few hours or overnight depending on how much time you have. This will kill the larvae before they grow into adult flies which means that you won’t have to worry about them anymore.
Use A Fly Trap
If you want to make sure that the maggots in your trash can don’t come back, then you should consider getting a fly trap. This will help you get rid of the flies that are laying eggs on the food inside your garbage bin and keep them away from it for good. These traps don’t only kill flies, but they also attract them which means that they are a lot more effective than other methods. However, if you have children or pets in the house, then it would be better not to use these traps as they may be harmful to them.
Use Citrus Peels
The good thing about citrus peels is that they can kill maggots without leaving any trace behind which means that they won’t affect your food or compost at all. You can either place the peels directly into the trash can or you should get a trap that is safe for them to use.
Clean The Trash Can Regularly
While keeping your trash can lid closed is a good way to keep maggots out, you also have to make sure that the inside of it is clean as well. Otherwise, they will find the food and bacteria there and start laying eggs of their own. That said, you should clean your trash can regularly so that there isn’t much left in it for them to eat. You can do this using bleach and water or by using vinegar which will kill any bacteria in there and make sure that they don’t return again.
Why Do You Have Maggots In The Trash Can?
You are not cleaning the garbage can regularly.
If you don’t clean your trash bin on a regular basis, there is a high chance that it will attract maggots. Maggots can live in any kind of trash but they prefer the ones that are not cleaned out often. If you don’t clean your garbage bin for several days, it will begin to smell and then maggots will start appearing there. So, if you want to avoid this from happening, make sure to take out the trash on a regular basis and clean the garbage can as well.
You have leftover food or rotting fruit in the house.
Maggots tend to appear on foods that were not properly stored so if you have leftovers or rotten fruit lying around in your kitchen or pantry, they might start appearing in your trash bin as well. In order to prevent this from happening, make sure that all food is properly stored and fresh fruit is consumed within a few days.
You have a compost pile near the garbage bin.
If you have any compost piles near your trash bin, maggots might start appearing there as well. As mentioned above, maggots are attracted to foods and compost so if there is food waste or rotting fruit lying around in your compost pile, they will appear in your trash can as well. In order to prevent this from happening, make sure that you keep all foods and compost away from each other and clean up the area regularly as well.
How To Get Rid Of Maggots In A Trash Can?
Remove The Trash Can
It’s important to get rid of the trash can. You may not be able to keep it outside your home, so you can either place it in your garage or inside the house. If you choose to keep it inside, make sure that you have a lid on it. This will prevent maggots from flying out and getting into your home.
Clean The Trash Can Thoroughly
If the trash can is not in very good condition, get rid of it and replace it with a new one. If that’s not possible, clean the existing container thoroughly with hot water and soap. This will help kill any maggots that are still inside or on top of the trash can before you dispose of them permanently. Also, put some bleach in the water if you want to make sure there are no traces of maggots left behind. As an alternative, you can also mix some bleach and water and spray this mixture on the trash can to kill the maggots.
Protect The Trash Can
Now that your trash can is clean, you need to protect it from any further infestation. To do this, you will need to install a new lid on top of the garbage bin that has some sort of mesh or holes in it. This will prevent any maggots from crawling inside and laying eggs there. Alternatively, you can also take a piece of cardboard and cut holes in it to create a screen that will prevent any maggots from getting inside your trash can.
Clean The Trash Can Daily
If you are going to keep the trash can inside your home, it’s important that you clean it regularly. You don’t want to attract any more maggots in your kitchen or any other area of your home. So make sure that you clean the trash can every day and dispose of any food waste as soon as possible. Also, if you have a pet, make sure that they don’t get into the trash can and eat anything from there. That will cause them to become ill or even die, which is why you need to take steps to prevent this from happening in the first place.
Remove Old Food And Trash From The Area Around The Trash Can
Maggots often appear in large numbers because they feed on old food and other organic waste material that is left behind near your garbage bin. To prevent them from multiplying, make sure that you clean up any old food that is left behind by removing it from the trash can.
How To Get Rid Of Maggots In A Trash Can Using Dish Soap And Baking Soda
Get rid of all the garbage in your trash bin
Before you start dealing with maggots, it’s important that you remove all the garbage in your trash can. This is because if there is any leftover food remaining, they will attract more maggots to come and live there. Once you have removed all the garbage, put a layer of baking soda on the bottom of your trash can. This will help to absorb any remaining food smells so that maggots won’t be attracted to it later on.
Use dish soap to kill the maggots
Take some dish soap and pour it into a small bucket filled with water. Use a sponge or a brush to scrub down your trash bin from top to bottom so that it’s clean and free from any dirt or food remains. Once this is done, use a cloth or paper towel dipped in soapy water to wipe everything down until it’s free from any grime.
Let it dry and repeat the process again
Allow the trash can to air dry for a few hours before you put your garbage back in it. This will ensure that no maggots or larvae are left behind and that they all get killed properly. While this method is effective at killing maggots, it’s not very good at preventing them from coming back again. That said, you can also use a spray that contains boric acid as an alternative to achieve better results.
Use a spray that contains boric acid
Boric acid is a type of white powder which is often used as an insecticide. Since maggots are insects, it’s safe to assume that this substance can be used to get rid of them. To use it, you will need to buy a spray bottle and fill it up with one part water and two parts boric acid. Once you have done this, you can use it to spray down your garbage bin until the entire inside surface has been covered in the solution. The good thing about boric acid is that it will kill the maggots on contact but will not harm humans or pets if they accidentally ingest some of the solutions.
Conclusion
Maggots can be a real nuisance at times. The best way to deal with them is to keep your trash can clean and avoid producing too much food waste. You can also use baking soda and dish soap to kill the maggots in the trash can. That said, if you want to get rid of the maggots completely, you will have to use an insecticide spray as well.
