Maggots do not have teeth, but they do have mouth hooks which are modified mandibles they use to rake in decaying flesh. They also have some rough bumps around their body which scratch and poke dead tissue they are feeding upon.
Maggots wriggle through a corpse secreting digestive enzymes and spreading putrefying bacteria
which helps create a soupy environment. In warm weather that is conducive to their growth, maggots can consume 60 per cent of a human body in less than a week.
If you found maggots in the house you certainly need to correct the problem that is creating the environment in which they are living. That process will kill maggots. Then, you won't have to worry about biting maggots.
Comments
maree
16 Jun 2011, 16:42
so i moved into a rental property on a farm and i have since discovered
maggots and they are all over the floor in the kitchen im a clean freak
this is soooo yuck. I can not point my finger on where they are coming
from. I know that they are old floor boards and there is a rat problem as
the owner puts rat posining down underneath the hosue every three months
could they be coming through the floor boards from a dead rat?? HELP ME
PLEASE.. ITs not my rubbish bin its outside. Or can it be from the back of
my fridge? I looked and can not see any there.
Ask the Exterminator
16 Jun 2011, 23:05
Could be from a dead animal or it could be some type of stored product
pest. You need to take some maggots to your local county extension agent
for a free ID. I guess you didn't read the comments above.
Button
20 Jun 2011, 03:38
Hello, we've been seeing brown maggots in our home, mostly in the summer
months. I'll see them in bathroom or kitchen and many of times in corners
of carpets. We have a fireplace in living room which is the room where
maggots were initially discovered, and my husband takes his good time
cleaning the fireplace after burning, like there will be debris in there
for months and months. Could leftover wood from fireplace be a cause for
brown maggots and beetles? I've seen small beetles as well. Please help!!
Completely grossed out, its after 3am and just saw one can't sleep!
Ask the Exterminator
20 Jun 2011, 08:29
Like I told the another visitor to this page, what kind of maggots? You
need to get them identified. Collect a few and have an entomologist do the
ID. Knowing the species will lead you to where they are breeding and that
will lead to their control.
Marie
21 Jun 2011, 13:14
I inherited a fridge, the electric had been turned off at the home and the
fridge had food in it. After the items were removed I brought the fridge
home and started cleaning it out, I am not sure if it would be worth having
a repair man come out and if so will it always have a smell in it from the
maggot infestation?
Ask the Exterminator
21 Jun 2011, 13:23
We sell a product called Bac-Azap on this site. It is supposed to take care
of all those kinds of orders. Give it a try. Click on "Pest Control
Products" at the top of this page and you'll be on the product purchase
site. You can read about Bac-Azap there.
Kelly
26 Jun 2011, 14:59
I keep my cats litter box on the balcony and the balcony door open all the
time for the cat to come and go freely, I've always noticed little flies
around my house but this morning when I woke up there was maggots all over
my apartment wondering around I checked for food or rotten debris and
didn't find anything we are very clean could they be breeding in the litter
box and coming inside afterwards? Please help I'm so grossed out
Ask the Exterminator
26 Jun 2011, 23:13
Identification is key. This type question has been answered several times
on this page.
Swapna
29 Jun 2011, 13:10
I read lots of comments in this page, still want to ask the same, please
help me.
Its rainy seaon here, I found this 5 white tiny worms in my toilet
area.(its indian Toilet)I always keep my home very clean, as you said
before -I cleaned the toilet twice today but still got 2 after cleaning
toilet.
i searched all over the toilet, its clean everywhere. and dint find any
source. still they are coming 1 or 2 some times.
i am pasting one link of same worm,but what i found were lil whitish in
color but exactly same as this one in the link-
http://blog.zyciepabianic.com.pl/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/larwa.jpg
I called pest control, that guy is coimng next week.
please help me, its my own home and I am not able to live in my home
peacefully because of these, I am a housewife and my apartment is in good
condition its 8 years old building and have very clean home.
I am really worried, and does these worms go inside our body through skin
or by any other way? and if they go do they kill us?
Please help.
Ask the Exterminator
29 Jun 2011, 13:48
It's fly larvae, but I cannot ID the exact fly. I am guessing it is blow
fly which breeds in decaying matter. Perhaps you have a crack around the
toilet where moisture is getting under the slab.
Stefania
06 Jul 2011, 21:38
Yesterday there was absolutely nothing and today I found maggots in my
downstairs bathroom, throughout my kitchen, family room, dining room, and
foyer. Since they are spread out all over and not just in one location,
how do I find where they are coming from? I pulled out my stove and
refridgerater but found nothing. I cleaned out my pantry but again,
nothing. I bleached the entire first floor and removed the trash can. How
did I develope such a maggot problem in one day? any suggestions would be
appreciated. Thank you.
Ask the Exterminator
07 Jul 2011, 10:10
The "maggots" could be the larvae of flies, carpet beetles or some type of
panty pest. You need to get the maggots identified. Collect some in a jar
and take them to your local county extension agent for a free ID. Once you
know the species you'll quickly learn where they are coming from and how to
control them.
kirk vorsatz
10 Jul 2011, 22:32
I just bombed my house- used 3 can 4000 cubic feet each for 2000 share foot
home...next day found maggots scattered through out the house... any reason
they started showing up everywhere- used a product called hotshot
Ask the Exterminator
11 Jul 2011, 09:43
I assume you were "bombing" your house to control a fly problem. The
"bombs" are great for knocking down adult flies. In your case you used
enough of the aerosol to force the maggots out of their hiding places,
which indicates you have infestations in all the locations where the
maggots were discovered.
Glo
12 Jul 2011, 09:30
We just purchased the house (raised ranch) downstairs is finished
w/fireplace. It had a rug but when we had the rug cleaned bad order
surfaced. Make long story short we removed carpet b/c we thougt it
attracted the cluster flies we were have only down-stairs by fireplace.
Exterminater explained how the hatch and want out. We had to wait for it's
cycle to finish. Well the cluster flies stopped now we have maggots (dark
colored ones) HELP! What can we do I can not take it. I will not put any
furniture in our very nice room until I feel "CLEAN". Should we just pay
for another exterminator. I am now noticing small flies I am vacuuming up
daily1111
Ask the Exterminator
12 Jul 2011, 09:45
I'm guessing these maggots are not from cluster flies, since cluster flies
lay their eggs in the bodies of earthworms. Your exterminator did not give
you valid information. So, collect a few of the maggots in a jar and take
them to your local county extension agent for a free ID. You need to know
the insect species before you can being to resolve the issue.
JK
12 Jul 2011, 14:56
A couple of weeks ago I noticed an inordinate amount of flies in my house.
Suspicious, I investigated around my trash. I left my onions in their mesh
bag on the floor near my trash (which I NEVER do.. but did this time). Low
and behold.. 5 or 6 little maggots started squirming away for dear life. I
found several more hiding in the cracks of my tiles in my pantry - which is
about 3-4 feet away from the onions. I raided the bajeezus out of them -
they were squirming out slowly but surely and I got about 15 of them...
which leads me to my question. I think I got them all but who knows for
sure? I thought it best to wait a few days and if I see nary a fly, I'd
call the exterminator. Do you think it is wise for me to wait or go ahead
and call an exterminator right away? I really think they came from the bag
of onions. I bought these onions about 2 weeks ago and that's when I
started seeing the flies. Thoughts?
Ask the Exterminator
12 Jul 2011, 15:00
I think you've done the right thing. A pest control pro will search around,
just like you did. Nobody knows your home better than you. Watch for more
signs of maggots and resume the search if you find any.
loulou
17 Jul 2011, 23:55
Hi,
I have Flesh flies (yuck). In the past we had traps set for mice. The traps
where a rodent will eat and then run outside etc... So chances are one died
in the ceiling or wall. I had maggots all over my floor around 2 weeks ago.
I got rid of a lot of them and last Monday saw tons of flies. I killed many
but am still seeing flies six days later (not as many). Called exterminator
that said we must have someting that died in the wall. They will not come
and take our house apart. They said that these should start to dwindle down
in numbers.
Is all of this true ? I looked for the source but cannot locate. I assume
that something died between the suspended ceiling. I pushed it up but there
is a lot of insallation and couldn't see anything. will these flesh flies
eventually go away if I cannot locate the source ? Please advise.
Ask the Exterminator
20 Jul 2011, 16:18
The flies will start to go away when their breeding source is gone. As the
fly maggots feed on the dead animal, eventually there will be nothing left
for them to feed on and the flies will have to find new places to lay their
eggs.
Nam
10 Aug 2011, 07:04
Very similar to a previous question if I could have clarification it will
make me feel a lot better. An animal I believe a bird has died inside my
wall, I am unable to get to it. This happened about a week ago. Today I
noticed maggots coming from the carpet. I have no way to remove the animal
will the maggots eventually just go way?
Nam
10 Aug 2011, 07:10
To add to the last question they are only coming from the side where I know
the animal has died for the time being I'm just vaccuming them up as I see
them, is this an effective solution as I try to wait them out?
Ask the Exterminator
10 Aug 2011, 12:40
The maggots will be a problem until the entire animal carcass has been
consumed. The larger the bird the longer it will take. My suggestion would
be to open the wall to remove the animal.
Menino Andrade
13 Aug 2011, 06:39
hi,
today i noticed few small maggots on the floor,i checked throughly if here
is anything rotting but found nothing.could they be falling from the roof?
we have roof tiles
Ask the Exterminator
15 Aug 2011, 10:35
Like I've mentioned several times on this page, get the maggots identified
to determine why they are present. What species of insect are the maggots?
Nic
22 Aug 2011, 22:07
Just wanted to say I really appreciate your website and how diligent you
are about keeping up on the comments.
Jay
24 Aug 2011, 00:54
Hi i have an urgent problem,i have a small dog and hes kept in my room when
im not home,when i get back home i find that hes peed on the wood
floor,this is sumthin that happens daily and i mop it with bleach water,but
ive noticed maggots coming out of my mop,i replaced the mop and the same
thing has happend,can this be because of me using it to clean the dog
pee?please help
Ask the Exterminator
24 Aug 2011, 12:26
It's possible the urine contaminated mop is attracting flies. The flies
will lay their eggs in the moist mop head. Just launder the mop head after
use.
K
01 Sep 2011, 16:31
Hi there have been a few questions about whether the maggots/flies will go
away once the food source is gone and you have confirmed they will. What I
would like to know, is roughly how long that takes if the food source is a
dead rodent i.e. how long does the decay process take? A few people here do
not have the option of opening up the wall so while that's the best
suggestion, I think what people really want to know is how long they have
to wait it out. Just a ballpark time for a small rodent would be helpful -
are we talking a week, month, year? Thank you and such a great site!
Ask the Exterminator
02 Sep 2011, 11:19
Once the food source has been consumed there is nothing there for the flies
to lay more eggs. The decay process all depends upon the size of the animal
and the volume of fly larvae. Usually it takes two to three weeks for
everything to be consumed for something the size of a squirrel.
jonna
04 Sep 2011, 09:58
I just wanted to thank you for all the info on your site was able to not
totally freak out after reading your advise thanks
Emily
05 Sep 2011, 01:11
Today was the worst day of my life. I got up to find maggots all over my
kitchen floor, all over my living room floor, going into my bathroom and my
room. If maggots are only attracted to a decaying food source why would
they be all over my apartment? thanks
Ask the Exterminator
06 Sep 2011, 12:22
Fly maggots are attracted to decaying materials, but there are other
so-called maggots that people find. What about carpet beetle larvae and
various larvae found in infested foods in the pantry? You need to get your
maggots properly identified to understand where they are coming from.
Leslie
07 Sep 2011, 22:42
I found maggots on a a few rotten bananas in a small wooden fruit bowl on
my kitchen table, and have rinsed it with hot water and dish soap, and
sprayed it down with 409. Is it safe to keep the bowl? Can the maggots or
eggs somehow be embedded and survive in the wood or come back? Do you think
they could of already spread elsewhere in my kitchen?
Thank you.
Ask the Exterminator
08 Sep 2011, 09:24
As long as the bowl has been thoroughly washed it will be fine.
Emily
09 Sep 2011, 01:37
Thank you soo much for answering my question I asked on Sept 5. So I had a
professional come over but hes not a exterminator just more like a cleaning
person to clean all the maggots found in my apartment, kitchen floor,
living room, bathroom and a few in my room. He said they were coming from
the bottom of my refrigerator from this little black bowl that the water
from the fridge falls in into and he said the maggots were breeding there
for some time. I had rotten peppers in the bottom of my fridge that I
forgot about. But Im still baffled as to why they went all over my
apartment in a matter of a couple of hrs... My apartment is really clean.
Can they spread that fast?? There were hundreds of them...
Ask the Exterminator
09 Sep 2011, 16:46
The maggots didn't spread in a couple of hours, but flies breed quickly and
lay their eggs in many varied locations. Eggs hatch in days and then you
have maggots. All over the place!
Mrs.Baez
19 Sep 2011, 01:40
The neighbors downstairs discovered maggots in the basement that both units
use in the duplex where I live. The property owner says its from dirty
laundry in the basement. A couple months ago the basement was flooded with
water she claims she had somene comeout and fix. Is there any truth to the
laundry thing or can my hunch about th water back up be more then that?
lisa
19 Sep 2011, 13:29
A few months ago found some maggots behind my sofa, there was nothing dead
around and they didn't seem to becoming from my kitchen. anyway i cleaned
them up and bleach my floor. and i had got a new sofa too, and now i go to
hoover my new sofa and i found what look like white marks on my sofa and a
maggot . im lost on where they are comeing from.
Rebecca
27 Sep 2011, 10:25
Hi There,
I have just moved into a new build flat. They flat was completely bare when
I first moved in and I carpeted and painted the whole flat and keep it
spotless. We then got two house rabbits, and noticed that flies started
coming through the window and flying about. I killed all the ones I could
see , but the other night I was walking through my hall and notcied one in
the corner of the hall on the floor , I went over and killed it . then i
noticed littled dark brown maggot like things in the carpet so I hastely
sprayed the carpet with spray bleach, then noticed more down the side of
the skirting board, so I lifted the carpet to find 15 or 20 dead brown
maggots, I hoovered them up and thought that would be it. In the morning
there where more flies around that area so I killed them. At night there
was more flies in the house. All the windows are closed and there is no
more maggot things on the floor , so I am scared there is another area
where they are nesting. My rabbits are not kept in the hall so I dont know
why they are going to that area. What should I do? My rabbits are being
sold on , but I still dont want flies about my house. Can you help? Thanks
Helen
30 Sep 2011, 09:26
Without thinking two tangerines fell in my car (not sure when). Well today
I decided to clean my car and found maggots and the tangerine (te root of
the problem) how do I get rid of the maggots? Should I just vacuum and
they'll be gone? I washed a few sweaters and a blanket that I left in there
and washed it on hot. I just want to make sure that the maggots don't
spread (although I know there no other substance in my car for it to
spread). -thanks
Ask the Exterminator
30 Sep 2011, 11:14
Just removing the food source should be enough to control the problem. Be
sure to clean up all the food residue.
Phil
04 Oct 2011, 00:07
Hi,
I found some maggots crawling around my laundry room. Upon investigating
the area I noticed that there were many many more in the storage/furnace
room adjacent to the laundry. The flooring in that room is cement and as I
started to spray the area with raid I noticed that they seem to be coming
out of a thin crack that runs about 4 feet along the cement floor of this
area of the basement. How are they surviving under the cement and what is
causing them to all of a sudden appear. How do you suggest I get rid of
them?
Thx
Ask the Exterminator
05 Oct 2011, 12:58
What kind of maggots? Flies? Carpet beetles? Pantry pests? You must find
out what species of insect you have before you can figure out how to
control them.
Iris
05 Oct 2011, 17:46
We went camping in the Aussie Bush. We had access to a gas fridge. We did
not notice that the seal had been broken and there were a lot of flies in
the fridge. All the meat had maggots in them. Some of us must have ingested
maggots. My daughter is sick with stomach cramps now. I have 2 questions:
1. Would they survive in the fridge after all the food has been removed?
If not how can we get rid of them?
2, How long is the incubation time for them to cause trouble, if ingested?
Thank you for your help! This is really urgent!
Ask the Exterminator
06 Oct 2011, 08:15
The maggots will survive if any food residue is present. Eventually they
will pupate and turn into flies. Thorough cleaning is the easiest way to
control a fly maggot infestation. Eating maggots is not the concern. Eating
rotten food would be the problem and for that you should consult a doctor,
not a pest control professional.
Katie
10 Oct 2011, 22:23
This hasn't happened alot but, today I was serving dinner and I saw a huge
Waterbug sprint from under my fridgerator. I have no never seen one in this
house before, so automatically I freaked out. My mom killed it for me with
her slipper. HWill Raid work against these disgusting critters?
Ask the Exterminator
11 Oct 2011, 06:40
Raid will kill roaches if it contacts the insect. Raid is a repellent, so
the roaches will try to move away from it, causing them to locate to
different areas. I prefer using roach baits that draw the insects, rather
than spread the problem around.
tiff
13 Oct 2011, 00:33
Hi I found 3 maggots in my closet ,how did they get there ? Theres no food
in it and do they go away on their own or no ?
camstuf
13 Oct 2011, 11:50
Found 20+ white Maggots on kitchen & laundry room floor on these dates:
6/28; 7/21; 8/31; 10/13. We do leave the doors open and have the
occasional fly in the house. Can't tell where the maggots are coming from.
There is no A/C vent in the laundry room.
The floor is tile on concrete slab. No maggots under sink, in pantry, under
stove. dishwasher, or fridge. Could not get sample because this time, I
sprayed them with HOT SHOT and they did not come back. They usually last
for two days. Any clues???
Ask the Exterminator
13 Oct 2011, 13:59
Tiff: Carpet beetle larvae, most likely.
Ask the Exterminator
13 Oct 2011, 14:19
Camstuf: Are you sure the maggots are flies and not a pantry pest? If they
are, in fact, fly larvae they could be developing under the tile floor.
Cracks in the tile grout may allow water to collect under the tile. That
water provides ample structure for them to breed.
camstuf
15 Oct 2011, 18:07
@Ask the Exterminator.
Thanks for the info. Update on my 10/13/2011 info: My Hubby saw two large
flies on 10/12. Then the 20+ maggots on 10/13. On 10/14, I found two
maggots on the kitchen floor and got one in a jar for ID. I dont doubt I
have cracks in the grout. Do I need to seal the grout somehow? I do mop
lite quite a bit, sometimes 3x a day. I plan to rip the pantry, stove,
fridge, and laundry center to shreds this weekend to find a source.
Forgot to mention, we had rats and I threw those green poision thingys out
this past winter... And, last summer we had to call exterminator for sugar
ants through out the house: both bath rooms, kitchen, elect outlets in
bedrooms
Jenny
17 Oct 2011, 10:50
I found maggots in my balcony. There is no trash in the balcony. There was
a blanket my cat peed on and two boxes of old mail because we moved
recently. So I ckecked the boxes but there were no maggots in there.
However there were maggots in the blanket. i threw the blanket away. But
there are still maggots coming. I have looked everywhere but can't find the
source. So this morning is a very cold morning and I saw them coming in
from the neighbors side of the balcony. The only thing that divides my side
and hers are bricks. And I saw them coming in from underneath the bricks.
Is it a possibility that it's me? The other thing is that I do not have the
cat liter outside, or food, or anything like that. Also the maggots have
been trying to get into the house. I don't know what to do! They don't seem
to die either.
KATHIA OBERT
18 Oct 2011, 13:20
OMG! I thought I was the only one. I also had rats in the attic and killed
them with those green things. Unfortunately, they stayed and died, they
were suppose to come out and die as they get thirsty. Anyway, for 3 weeks I
lived with the horriffic odor!! now that the odor is gone, we had an
infestation of black flies!! This is a nightmare. I put a couple of bombs
in the attic, and they have diminished. But now I read about maggots, I
pray I do not have them next! What to do?
laxgirl44
28 Oct 2011, 00:26
i have found many small flies flying in my room and i don't now where the
came room and i have carpet how do i find them i've looked every where
Ask the Exterminator
28 Oct 2011, 15:59
You can't tell the players without a scorecard. Get them identified first.
You need to know the fly species. Then you'll know where they are breeding
and how to control them.
Anon
04 Nov 2011, 01:06
Today I found 50-60? or so white maggots on my bedroom floor. They were
mostly by my clothes and by the door leading to the hallway but a few were
scattered elsewhere on the wooden floor. There were several flies? really
small ones. I killed everything it took several hours but there are a
couple flies around they're very hard to spot being so small. I didn't ID
the maggots before killing them all. The maggots/larvae were bigger than
the flies. I think the flies had a red head and body with yellow and black
stripes? I had decaying fruit in my trashcan and a lemon out that probably
attracted them. I thought flies hated lemons but they were by it. I cleaned
the trashcan and finished all the food. I sprayed a lot of white vinegar
and I'm leaving the window open overnight 45F outside. What countermeasures
can I take? I never had maggots before and I can't believe there were so
many. It's kinda dark in my room so I guess I just didn't notice them
spawning.
Ask the Exterminator
04 Nov 2011, 01:51
Sounds like you've taken the right steps. Keep looking for decomposing
matter where flies might breed.
Sandra
14 Nov 2011, 10:32
Hey I was in my kitchen and I found a pile of ants in the corner of my
refrigerator I tossed a cup of water and sweeped the ants into a drain hole
i have in the kitchen but then out of no where maggots started appearing
all over the area where i sweeped the ants maybe a good few so i throw
water on them to drown them and drained them as well... where could that
have came from?.. a few mins later I saw one last maggot fall from
somewhere to the ground not sure from where though... =(
heidi
16 Nov 2011, 09:41
In late summer, we noticed a large swarm of black flies on the east facing
glass unfinished basement door. Killed them with raid, but could not find a
source. About a month later, we noticed more flies in the second floor
master bath on east facing windows and skylight. Killed them as well.
A week after that, we had a occurrence in the attic for one day that after
having animal control out, nothing was found. Apparently it came and left.
Then two weeks later, we found maggots in the master floor and connecting
closet, as well as ALL OVER the hallway opposite the master bath/closet!!!
Exterminator came out and searched the attic to no avail. He sprayed the
baseboards. We fumigated those areas. We even went so far as to open
portions of the hall wall. Nothing!
Four days went by and nothing was new, then I found one in the bath and
hall (although I think dead??) and one in the first floor hall beneath the
problem hall. railing.
We've searched the attic, the wall, no bad smell, vacuumed enough for an
entire month in two days. We cannot find where they would be coming
from??? Please help!!
Ask the Exterminator
17 Nov 2011, 05:33
In your entire description of your efforts to control the flies you never
mention what species of fly you have in your house. Pest control always
starts with identification. The pest control pro who you hired should have
told you the fly species. Are they bottle flies, face flies, house flies,
cluster flies or some other species? If they turn out to be cluster flies,
the breeding is occurring outside in the ground and the flies are simply
migrating toward the house. If they are bottle or face flies they could be
breeding in a dead animal inside or near an outside foundation walls. Get
them properly identified and you'll be better informed as to what control
methods will work best.
Jacquelyn
12 Dec 2011, 15:35
I have a bowl that I put spare change into. Today I emptied the bowl out,
and found about 6 or 7 maggots in the bowl underneath all of the coins. I
keep this bowl on a desk in my bedroom, where there is no food around. The
only thing near the bowl are papers, pens and other office supplies. How
could these maggots have gotten there, and how were they able to survive
with no food?
Ask the Exterminator
12 Dec 2011, 21:48
"Maggots" is a general term used to describe any number of worm-like
crawling larvae. You need to find out what species of insect your maggots
are before trying control methods.
px
18 Dec 2011, 16:48
we have small pantry moths, and crickets for our lizard. all of a sudden we
are finding light colored maggot like things in corners of walls and on
ceiling. my house is cleaned very well can you tell me what thay might be
and how to get rid of them