How To Get Rid of Maggots Easily and Rapidly.

When you think of rotten matter, maggots are the first things that come to mind. This is because live, wriggling maggots are the creepiest crawlies in the world. For that reason, nobody can cope with a full-scale maggot infestation in their home.

So, we all look for different ways to get rid of these maggots for good. In this article, we’ve compiled some of the best techniques. Here, you will find different homemade, artificial, and natural ways to kill maggots. Just do well to tag along, okay?

Where Do Maggots Come from?

Simply put, maggots are the juvenile stages of some flies. Since there are different species of flies, maggots are also of varying kinds. But no matter the kind, all maggots, one day, will grow up into adult flies.

However, before that, these maggots were once the eggs laid by female flies. These female flies stay alive for about 30 days. At some point in its life cycle, a female fly can produce about 2000 eggs. Although, this oviposition can take up to like 150 batches before completion.

After a day or two, the maggots will appear.  These maggots are usually less than 10 mm long. In some cases though; a length of 20 mm is still counting. But whether small or big, maggots would actively feed for like 5 days.

And then, they would transform into a dormant pupa stage. It is this pupa stage that would eventually grow into adult flies. If the adult fly is a female, it would begin to lay eggs at maturity. That way, the cycle can continue.

Now, oftentimes, the primordial eggs that transform into maggots are laid in safe, rich, and rotten plant and animal matter. These are mostly found in:

1. Waste bins or trash cans
2. Grass clippings
3. Exposed feces
4. Spoilt food
5. Exposed pet food
6. Decaying fruits
7. Stagnant Water.
8. Potted plants
9. Pet Wounds and many more

In most cases, we don’t get to see the flies as they lay the eggs in these places. So, when the maggots emerge, we get the feeling that they’ve come out of nowhere.

READ MORE: Why Are Flies Attracted To Me?

What Kills Maggots Instantly?

Maggots are very delicate larvae.

So, there’s an array of products and substances that can kill maggots within the blink of an eye.

Among the most effective ones are boiling water, carburetor cleaner, shampoo, vinegar, and natural predators like birds.

In this section, we’ll look at the techniques to use some of these products ( natural, chemical, and household) that can kill maggots instantly. Here we go:

• Boiling Water.

Because maggots have very soft bodies, hot water can easily pierce through their skin. In an instant, any maggot that comes in contact with boiling water will sustain fatal burns. In the end, such maggots will die off.

To use boiling water as a maggot killer, you need to start by emptying your trash can or any other infested spot.

Then, you can pour hot water on the maggots. When the maggots are all dead, wash the infected area with soaps and water.

You should note that clearing infested regions after using boiling water is important. Because if you don’t, a new set of female flies will come around and repopulate the region with eggs. Of course, that’s another maggot war all over again.

• Salt.

Common salt contains mostly sodium chloride.

This compound at high concentrations can kill maggots by dehydrating them. Without enough water, such maggots will die off within minutes.

However, to make the salt more effective, you can mix it with lime in equal ratios. Lime, as well, contains calcium oxide (quicklime) and calcium hydroxide (slaked lime).

These two compounds when mixed with salt become a toxin for maggots.

To use them effectively, add the lime-salt mixture to areas with high maggot activity. Within a few minutes, the maggots therein should be dead. If any of the maggots remain, apply a more lime-salt solution.

To save time, you can also opt-in for a ready-made calcium-oxide lime solution in nearby stores. In the same way, this salt solution can kill maggots instantly.

• Insecticides.

Out there, many chemical sprays are available for killing maggots. If you don’t mind using chemical products on your property, these sprays are one of the fastest ways to kill maggots.

However, there are many sprays out there. Some of the most effective ones are pyrethrum or permethrin-based. A good example is a Pyrid Aerosol.

To use permethrin-based insecticides, you must ensure that you spray them directly on the maggots. You can also apply it to other spots often visited by insects. Such places include wall crevices, window sills, and trash cans.

• Dog Shampoo.

As said earlier, permethrin is a compound that can kill insects. Oftentimes, it is used to kill lice, scabies, and fleas. As such, permethrin is a major component in insecticides and acaricides.

However, our body creams, shampoos, and lotions contain a considerable amount of permethrin as well. As such, you can tap this component in creams and dog shampoos as a maggot killer.

To make one, you can melt dog shampoo in hot water. Then, you add this deadly combo to areas infested with maggots.

But remember; you need to clean up to prevent re-infestation.  Also note that this permethrin mixture should be kept away from kids and pets like dogs, cats, and fish.

• Carburetor Cleaner.

Oftentimes, carburetor cleaners are chlorine-based. Chlorine, when mixed with water, is antiseptic. As such, if you mix carburetor cleaner with a large amount of hot water (say 1:2), it becomes a potent maggot killer.

It’s preferable to use this mixture outdoors. So, places like your trash can are suitable.

When using a carburetor cleaner to kill maggots, ensure that the lid of the trash can is well-shut. This will allow the deadly fumes to consume the maggots. Without oxygen, the maggots will die off. After about an hour, you can empty the trash can.

However, you must observe these two precautions while using carburetor water:

1. Wear protective clothing like gloves, nose masks, and goggles. This is because the fumes of carburetor cleaner can choke humans too. Other related products you can use this way include brake cleaners and motor oils.
2. Ensure that you don’t mix your carburetor cleaner with any other solvent apart from hot water. This is because the chlorine in most carburetor cleaners can react with other solvents.

When that happens, a cloud of toxic gasses may erupt. Oftentimes, these fumes have been known to cause serious issues on exposure to skins and lungs.

• Vinegar.

For centuries, vinegar has been hailed as a universal house agent.

Killing maggots is another thing you can use vinegar to do. But unlike most of the other products we’ve mentioned so far, vinegar would give you two benefits.

One, vinegar will kill off the maggots and the eggs laid by the female flies. Aside from that, vinegar is a great insect and mice repellent. This is because its scent will neutralize all other odors that can attract insects. If the flies can come in, there’ll be no eggs. No eggs; no maggots.

To use vinegar, mix it with a large amount of hot water (about 1:3). Afterward, you can then apply the fatal cocktail directly on maggots. You should also note that bleach can work the same way.

READ MORE: How To Get Rid of Sugar Ants.

Does Vinegar Kill Maggots Instantly?

Yes, concentrated vinegar will kill maggots. However, the amount of time it will take depends on the method of preparation. Here is a quick list of how each preparation technique work:

1. If you mix vinegar with hot water (about 1:3), the solution will kill the maggots within a few minutes. This is because the boiling water will off the maggots as it comes in contact with them. The vinegar will finish off the ones that survive and the eggs as well.
2. If you use undiluted vinegar, it would take about an hour.
3. If you mix vinegar and cold water (about 1:5), it would take up to 18 hours.

What Is the Fastest Way to Kill Maggots?

Permethrin-based insecticides are the fastest way to chemically kill maggots.

But sometimes, it’s not that easy to get such permethrin sprays. So, many people look to household alternatives to eliminate maggots for good.

Among those commonly used household products, boiling water and salt are the cheapest ways to get rid of maggots.

To make boiling water a more effective maggot killer, you can add either dog shampoo, lime juice, bleach, or even a carburetor cleaner as available.

Likewise, salt becomes more potent when mixed with lime. Get any of these at hand and it’s death to all the maggots in your house! However, we should point out that carburetor cleaner is highly poisonous. So, use it with caution or only when there’s no better option.

How to Get Rid of Maggot Smell.

Maggots do smell. To rid your house of its stench, baking soda, vinegar and certain essential oils like lavender can come in handy. Sprinkle or spray any of those substances in infested areas and around your house at large.

How to Get Rid of Maggots Naturally

If you’re looking to be organic, there are several natural ways that you can use to get rid of maggots. So far, we’ve mentioned quite a number. In this section, we’ll summarize them and the best way to prepare and use them. They are:

1. Salt mixed with lemon can get rid of maggots naturally. Sprinkle it on maggot-infested areas.
2. Vinegar or bleach mixed with boiling water can kill maggots naturally. Apply it on a trash can and shut the lid well for an hour.
3. Diatomaceous earth is a perfect way to kill garden maggots. Sprinkle a considerable amount on affected areas.
4. Birds like chickens can eat maggots. Spread out your maggots and treat your chickens to a decent lunch.

How to dispose of Maggots Ethically

Well… some of us have gentle hearts. Because of it, we can’t bear to see maggots wriggling in toxic compounds. As such, we look for humane ways to dispose of maggots.

Relatively, the most ethical and merciful way to kill maggots is by freezing them. Here is a quick step by step way to do this:

1. Wear protective gloves.
2. Handpick all the maggots and gather them in a trash bag.
3. Put the bag in a freeze and leave it in for an hour.
4. After one hour, empty the content in a trash can outside your house.

How to Get Rid of Specific Kind of Maggots

1. Blueberry Maggots.

1. Harvest only fresh fruits.
2. Heat the fruits to 50⁰C or freeze as preferred.
3.  Before harvesting, clear all weeds that can serve as breeding spots for blueberry maggots.
4. To kill off the blueberry maggots and their pupa for good, apply diatomaceous earth to your garden.
5. Spray your farm or garden with low-risk insecticides like novaluron, spinosad, and spinetoram.

2. Cabbage maggots.

It is very tough to remove cabbage maggots. In fact, when your plant is infested, the best thing to do is to dig it up. But then, there are a few measures you can take against the cabbage maggot flies. These are:

1. Plant row covers over your cabbage. This will deter the flies from laying their eggs.
2. Regularly remove weeds.

READ MORE: How To Get Rid Of Ant Hills.

How to Get Rid of Maggots from Specifically Odd Place

• Human Body, Ear, Wound, and Stomachs.

1. To remove maggots from the wound, you can apply either chloroform or ether on the wound as first aid.
2. Under mild anesthesia, you can start removing the maggots or rush the victim to the hospital.
3. At the hospital, debridement with irrigation or surgery would be required to remove maggots from the wound.

• Dog’s Anus and Dog poop.

1. Shave the hair around the dog anus or their wound, in case.
2. Bath your dogs with permethrin-based shampoo to kill the maggots.
3. Apply lavender and hot water on the poops to kill the maggots.
4. Rush the dog and other infected pets to a vet.

Final Words.

In summary, we agree that maggots are quite easy to eliminate. You can use natural means like birds, diatomaceous earth, boiling water, and essential oil.

Household products like vinegar, bleach, and carburetor cleaner can kill maggots as well. To use chemical sprays, permethrin-based insecticides are good for killing maggots.