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Maggots are the offspring of flies. They hatch from the discarded fly eggs and become flies after pupating. They are quite useful in the great outdoors, because they make fertile humus by decomposing rotten matter or excrement. They are also a food source for frogs, lizards, birds, spiders, wasps, praying mantises and shrews. In kitchens and living rooms, however, they cause disgust, and the question arises as to how best to combat the small, white maggots.
maggots
behavior of maggots
Maggots will eat any organic material that contains a trace of protein. Since tiny amounts of food are enough for them, they can quickly become a nuisance. They don't have heads or legs, but that doesn't stop them from crawling around in search of food. That's why they can appear in the most unlikely places, such as ceilings or walls. However, you will usually find them where organic remains or waste can be found. A splash of sauce on the kitchen wall can be enough for this.
Notice: Female flies lay several hundred eggs several times during the summer months. Therefore, in good living conditions, the number of maggots can increase explosively.
maggot infestation
If you find maggots in places where there is no food source in sight, it may also be that the uninvited guests are looking for a suitable place for the pupation. In this case, you should definitely look for possible food sources for the maggots, i.e. the origin of the plague.
home remedies
home remedies to combat it
If you discover maggots, you should remove them immediately. It is best to pack infested food in newspaper and dispose of the package in the garbage can. If you find maggots on the ground, it is easiest if you collect the disgusting guests with the broom and take them into the garden with the dustpan, as far away as possible from the house or patio door. If you don't have a garden, collect the maggots and dispose of them in the garbage can. If the maggots are in corners or cracks that are difficult to access, then the hair dryer is used. Its hot air kills maggots and eggs.
hair dryer
Tip: For the hair dryer to work, set it to the hottest setting.
After the maggots have been removed, the infested areas must be thoroughly cleaned. If collecting the maggots with a broom is too disgusting for you, you can fight the maggots with pepper or vinegar water. With these two home remedies, the maggots are killed and can then be removed with a vacuum cleaner or broom.
Tip: Apply pepper or vinegar water generously so that no maggots escape.
pepper water
All you need to make pepper water is pepper and a liter of water. Proceed as follows for the "preparation".
- Boil water
- add a tablespoon of pepper or more
- stir
- Allow the pepper water to cool while stirring constantly
- Pour the cooled pepper water into a spray bottle
To combat them, spray the pepper water on the maggots. After a few minutes they should have died. After you have removed the dead maggots, the infested area or objects on which the maggots were must be cleaned with the remaining pepper water.
black peppercorns
vinegar water
Vinegar water serves to destroy maggots and also has a preventive effect, since flies and maggots do not like the smell of vinegar. Follow the steps below to make vinegar water.
- add a few tablespoons of vinegar essence to a liter of water
- stir
- pour into spray bottle
First, spray the maggots with the vinegar water. To increase the effect of the home remedy, sprinkle salt over the maggots after spraying. The maggots died after just a few minutes. Remove the dead maggots and thoroughly clean the infested area and all objects with the remaining vinegar water.
Tip: Since maggots do not like the smell of vinegar, you should not wipe the cleaned surfaces and objects dry, but let them air dry.
Maggot infestation of indoor plants
Dying parts of indoor plants are a good place for oviposition from the point of view of flies. Therefore, the green roommates can also become a herd of maggots. But don't worry, the infested houseplant does not have to be disposed of, because there are home remedies for this case too.
- Soda soft soap solution
For the soda soft soap solution, mix in one liter of water:
- 2 tablespoons soda
- 15 milliliters of curd soap
To increase the effect of the solution, add 15 milliliters of spirit. Then spray the houseplant with the solution or wipe the leaves with a cloth that has been soaked in the solution.
water sprayer
Tip: The soda soft soap solution may only be used on houseplants that can tolerate the solution.
bedrock meal
Houseplants that do not tolerate spraying with the soda-soft soap solution are best powdered with rock dust. This dries out the maggots after a short time.
repot
If the maggot infestation comes from indoor plants, then the substrate is often infected as well. Therefore, the plant must be repotted in new substrate immediately after spraying or powdering. If there is no new pot available, the old planter must be thoroughly cleaned. It is best to use hot vinegar or soda water for this.
Tip: So that there are no eggs in the new substrate, it is recommended to disinfect the potting soil in the oven at 150 degrees Celsius.
prevention
In order to avoid an invasion of fly maggots, you should not offer the female flies any incentives to lay eggs in the first place.
Scent against flies
The scents of various oils and plants are simple home remedies that help against uninvited guests without any special preparation.
Proven fragrance oils are:
- Allow peppermint or lavender oil to evaporate on the stove or in a small smoker
- Place the bay leaf oil and water in a bowl or wide-necked bottle
lavender oil
Houseplants whose scent flies do not like are:
- Indian frankincense (Plectranthus coleoides)
- eucalyptus
The following are suitable for balconies, terraces or the garden bed in front of them:
- Geraniums (Pelargoniums)
- Marigolds (Calendula)
- tomatoes
- pole beans
- Nasturtium (Tropaeolum)
- Catnip (Nepeta cataria)
- Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
- Peppermint (Mentha x piperita)
Tip: Lavender scented sachets are a protection inside the house.
In the kitchen, a pot of basil keeps flies away. Since not all flies can be repelled with scent, here are some things to avoid in the kitchen and living room.
- food that is lying open or only lightly packaged, such as meat, fruit or vegetables
- Leftovers in trash cans
- Leftovers in feeding bowls
food protection
To prevent flies from laying eggs on food, it should be well packaged or protected, especially on hot days. With meat, fruit and vegetables, it doesn't matter whether these foods are fresh or already cooked, because the female fly makes no difference.
fruit and vegetables
A bowl of fresh fruit is not only good for your health, it is also a sight to behold. To prevent the fruit from becoming a breeding ground for maggots, you should store the fruit or vegetables as described below.
- put in the fridge on very hot days
- protect with a special fly mask
- Check regularly for signs of rot
- Remove bruised or rotten fruit or vegetables
If the fresh fruit has been made into jam or compote, clean the work surface thoroughly after preparation. Also make sure that jam or compote is always well sealed.
meat
To protect meat from flies, do not leave it lying around unattended. If it is to be brought to room temperature for processing, make sure it is well packaged.
raw ground beef
Leftovers in trash cans
Garbage cans with leftover food are particularly popular with female flies for laying eggs.
Therefore you should:
- use a lockable trash can
- empty the trash can every day or two on a hot day
- Clean the trash can thoroughly after emptying
Tip: After cleaning, turn the trash can upside down to prevent water from remaining in the bucket.
To avoid liquid in the trash can, simply place a layer of newspaper on the bottom. In the organic waste bin, it is advisable to place a layer of newspaper between the waste so that the paper can absorb the liquid better.
Leftovers in feeding bowls
Only put as much pet food in the feeding bowl as your darling eats at once. Remove the rest from the feeding bowl and then clean it.
Maggots in the carpet
Maggots in carpets usually do not come from flies but from clothes moths. Therefore, strictly speaking, they are not maggots, but larvae. In appearance, however, they are very similar to fly maggots and can cause major damage to carpets containing wool. In order to save the carpet, it must be vacuumed immediately, preferably several times. This is followed by a thorough wet cleaning. If the pests show up again afterwards, the carpet should be disposed of.
vacuum carpet
Tip: You can put smaller carpets in the freezer for a week. The cold kills all the larvae.