Help! A very pregnant fly decided to nest her family in my kitchen trash can. I woke up this morning to find maggots lurching across my kitchen floor! My husband bleached and disinfected the entire floor including under the stove and fridge and we thought he got them all but when I got home this evening there were some more. They still seemed to be coming from the direction of the trash can. Where do they like to hide and what kills them besides bleach and Raid? Can they live in kitchen cabinets? I checked all the cabinets this morning and there was no sign of the gross little things but now I'm paranoid. I have a daughter and don't want to poison her (or us). I also don't want her to pick a maggot up thinking its a snack!
P.S. We're very clean people. I sweep every day and clean the kitchen daily because we don't want bugs (and because we have a very curious and messy little girl). The previous tenants in our apartment were not very clean so we've already dealt and gotten rid of their bugs, we don't want our own.
Thank you everyone for your advice! The maggots have been neutralized and now I know exactly what to do if they ever come back :) We're also going to get a new trash can with a lid that stays tightly shut to help prevent another invasion and I'm for sure going to get a fly swatter. I can't wait until the weather cools down and the flys go away. You were all sooo helpful. Thank you so much.
Hi!
Hope this helps....years ago I also had a fly/maggot issue. I actually called an exterminator...he told me wet a cloth or paper tower in Pine-Sol, place where the infestation is and they hate the smell.... it's cheap, it's easy and hope it helps.....
:) P.
Sorry to hear, I'm wincing just reading about it!! Just reminds me of the day I threw out the diaper pail - for good. You can only imagine what I found one day I went to change the Diaper pail bag, I was so grossed out that now I taken every diaper out to the trash outside.
All it takes is one piece of meat somewhere and they will multiply. The bleach is a good idea. You need to check everywhere for bits of food. We had the same problem and it took us two weeks to get rid of all the flies. We used sticky strips hung from the ceiling. We used bait traps (like they use in barns) high up, we kept lots of fly swatters in every room. There is no easy way. Just be vigilant and watchful and good luck. It sounds like you are on the right track. Take the trash out every day. Any meat based item to throw out, wrap it up tight and then put it in a sealed baggie so that nothing can get in or out. You can also seal and FREEZE your meaty trash just before you put it out pickup. My grandmother did that to keep the bugs and the cats from getting into her trash. Anything liquid down the garbage disposal followed up a hot water torrent with detergent and the disposal on. The sticky strips and bait traps work pretty well. We just keep them high up to keep the dog out of them. There are electric bug zappers but they don't work very well with flies, most just moths.
This might be good information for the future. I'm curious as to read everyone response.
here's an article you should read regarding Maggots
http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Get-Rid-of-Maggots&i...
Oh gross!! I so can relate!! Yes...they can live in cabinets. Mine came home in something I brought home from the store. I ended up throwing away every dry food in the cabinet once I discovered the source. Between the heat and their love of warm dry places, just check everything out. It sounds like yours really started at the trash can, though.
Did you throw away meat in the trash? They love that. Just keep using the bleach.
Take a deep breath and relax. Unlike roaches, flies/maggots do not infest residences. As you discovered, if a pregnant fly discovers uncovered garbage, the result may well be maggots. In terms of prevention, keeping garbage covered and taking it out quickly are the simple solutions. Although maggots are hugely disgusting, they don't live long and they really aren't particularly mobile. Using too much pesticide may be more of a danger to your daughter than the maggots themselves.
C.:
Not to worry, with all this hot weather it contributed to the pesty problem. I think all of Orange County had a fly problem recently due to the heat. If you completely took the trash can out and washe it good maybe just a few were left behind. I think you'll find the problem will go away not you are vigilant about keeping an eye open. With a little one around I would skip the Raid and just make sure the little one didn't leave a piece of food that may have rolled under the fridge or side cabinet. Essh, won't we all welcome the cooler weather and these little pest long gone!
This may sound weird but it really works. Get some boric acid powder from your pharmacist, (no RX needed) sprinkle a fair amount on a sheet of aluminum foil and slide under your fridge and range or any other places that your child cannot get to. Worked like a charm for me back when my children were young.
Put the trash can outside for a day or two, give it a good wash inside and out. With kids you never know where they hide food. Food has a way of not staying where it is supposed to be. I had the problem once and would get up in the middle of the night until I saw them. It was just a stray piece of meat that had found it's way inder the stove. And yes they were heading to the trash.
C.
Clean the trash can, floor, cupboards, and entire area around the trash can with vinegar. Do this daily and they should go away. Just be sure to clean the baseboards, cupboards and trash can good with hot water and vinegar.
Maybe get a new trash can? I'm so sorry this is happening to you! Good luck.
I had a bad case of maggots on my patio from a trash can that didn't get taken out in time when we went on vacation. The worst thing you can do is try to drown them. They love moisture. Drying out the area is the key. I hear that salt works to dry them up. They are nasty things that love rotten food. They don't live in cabinets unless there is rotting food. So I wouldn't worry about them getting in there. Just make sure you empty your trash often.
Bleach should definitely take care of it. Take the trash can out and hose the entire thing down - underneath and all. Also, be sure to wipe down the bottoms of the cabinets - the underneath part with trim - they may set up in those harder to reach places. We had a similar problem - but our was in a peach I had tossed. Double check any fruits out on the counter.
I totally understand how horrified you must have been - I was appalled - especially since I do consider myself to have a clean home.
We had the same problem found maggots all over the house...not just in the trash can. Apparently there is a big fly problem in LA right now because of the heat. One day I came home and there were easily 30 flies in our living room. SO gross! The thing that worked was Murphy's Oil Soap and water in a spray bottle. We sprayed it all over the window sills and would even spray them in mid-air. They drop to the ground and you can sweep them up. I felt it was much safer than Raid or bleach for my 10 month old son. We haven't had a problem since.
There must be something... some food stuffs that is somewhere you can't see, and perhaps this is creating a "habitat" for them, for propagating....and this is where they are probably coming from.
Maggots breed in rotten food, human/pet waste etc., moist areas...
Look online and research it.... there must be remedies for it and how to get rid of them.
You have to get rid of the "source." Or they will keep coming.
Good luck!
I have ordered from Arbico Organics before (garden and natural pest control), and think they could help you. Here's the link on Flies: http://www.arbico-organics.com/organic-pest-control-fly-c...
I also recommend 20 Mule Team Borax, which works wonders (naturally) in pest control.
And my mother gave me a good book on natural remedies you can make yourself: it's "Grama's Critter Ridder" or someting like that. (Borax was one of the main ingredient in a lot of the stuff you can make, and it's natural.)
Good luck.
