Garbage Maggots
Summary: Garbage maggots are generally the larvae of flies commonly found around the house. So called garbage maggots can be eliminated by removing the decomposing substance on which the maggots are breeding.
A reader asks: How do I get rid of garbage maggots in a trash bin? I sprayed wasp spray on them, but they are still crawling around. If I throw away meat a week before the trash truck comes, how can I prevent maggots?
Dear Reader: If you are going to treat a pest with insecticide you must read the label to make sure that specific pest is listed as a target insect. You used wasp spray for garbage maggots which are the larval stage of flies. That's not what wasp spray is labeled for so results are questionable at best.
When disposing of perishables such as meat you may consider wrapping the meat in tin foil or putting it in a sealed plastic bag before pitching it in the trash container. This is especially true if the waste pickup is not scheduled to occur for more than a few days. This will keep flies from depositing their
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eggs on it.
If you do discover maggots you'll need to thoroughly wash out the affected garbage can to make sure you have eliminated all the maggots. I've always dropped a few mothballs in the bottom of the can, hoping the smell will discourage flies. But, again, fly control is not mentioned on the label. So, you see, even professional pest control people have their little beliefs they like to hang on to.
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12 Jul 2009, 12:52