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How to Get Rid of Maggots?

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Just the thought of maggots is enough to make people cringe in disgust, at the very least. So you can just imagine the reaction that most people would have upon seeing these slimy creatures wriggling around in their garbage or even inside their own homes.

They are disgusting

After getting over their initial squeamishness at the sight of the maggots, the only thing that most people want to do with maggots is to get rid of them, and in the soonest time possible. There are certainly a lot of ways to go about this but before you attempt to eradicate these creepy crawlies, it is best that you first understand what they are, which would enable you to deal with them more efficiently

So what are maggots?

They are actually just the larvae of the common houseflies. Rotten food and other decaying organic matter provide the perfect environment for a fly to lay its eggs, which is why people’s garbage cans are the home of millions of maggots. It doesn’t take very long for the eggs to hatch. Barely 12 hours after the eggs have been deposited, the maggots will begin to emerge and immediately set about doing their only duty at this stage, which is to eat and eat.

Break their life cycle

It is during this stage that they are at their most disgusting appearance, and it is the best time to get rid of them and break their life cycle, at least around your home. Following are some of the most effective ways of accomplishing this:

1. Pour boiling water over them. This may sound harsh but it is the most effective way of getting rid of these creatures without using any pesticides or other chemicals that could also be harmful to humans. Boiling water will kill them instantly, although some people suggest that it’s better to mix some bleach into the water.
2. Freeze them. If you don’t have the heart to inflict pain on any living thing at all, which is certainly what they will experience with the boiling water remedy, then you can freeze them to death instead. Of course, this means that you would have to collect the maggots first and put them in some kind of sealed container before you can place them inside the freezer, which for squeamish people may not be a very easy thing to do.
   
3. Avoid having maggots in and around your home. You won’t have problems on how to get rid of maggots if you didn’t have them in the first place. This can be easier than most people think. All you really have to do is to keep your place as clean as possible and keep your trashcans covered at all times and if there are any flies around, get rid of them with a natural pesticide or a fly swatter before they get a chance to lay eggs.

They are harmless

In any case, it would also be interesting to know that maggots are pretty harmless. People in some parts of the world even eat these critters, and they used to be a very effective cure for infected wounds. Today, they are widely used as fish bait and they do play a significant role in natural waste disposal. But if they are bothering you inside your own home, you can use any of the methods above to get rid of them for good.