IF you’ve got maggots in your bin, fear not, you’ve come to the right place.
There’s nothing more annoying than going to put your rubbish out, only to find nasty maggots crawling around your recycling and food bins.
And maggots thrive in the heat – and with temperatures in Britain hotting up this weekend, you’ll need to listen up if you want to get rid of them, and fast.
Thankfully, a waste expert from BusinessWaste.co.uk, named Mark Hall, has shared his top five tips to stop your bin becoming a “breeding ground” for the little blighters.
And for those on a budget as a result of the cost of living crisis, don’t worry, you won’t have to splash the cash to keep these creepy crawlies at bay.
In fact, one of Mark’s hacks is totally free – yes, you heard that correctly.
Not only did Mark stress the importance of cleaning your bins, but he also highlighted how to kill maggots instantly.
According to Mark, it’s easier to prevent maggots making a home in your bins than it is to evict them.
Mark advised: “Use hot water and a strong disinfectant or bleach solution (one part bleach to 10 parts water).
“Scrub the bin’s interior and lid thoroughly, focusing on corners and crevices where maggots might live and hide.
“Rinse well and let the bin dry completely before using it again.”
However, if maggots are already in your bin, Mark’s best piece of advice is to pour boiling water over them.
He recommended: “The extreme heat will kill the maggots instantly.
“Afterwards, dispose of the dead maggots and sanitise the bin with hot water and disinfectant (as described above).”
He added that vinegar, baking sofa and essential oils can also be used to “exterminate maggots”.
Maggots are attracted to food waste and as a result, Mark stressed the importance of making sure your scraps are tightly seals.
He added: “Ideally, waste food should be composted or put in a separate food waste bin.
MAGGOTS are the larval stage of flies, typically houseflies or blowflies.
They are small, worm-like creatures that are usually white or cream-colored. Flies lay eggs on decomposing organic matter, such as rotting food, animal carcasses, or feces, and these eggs hatch into maggots.
If you have maggots in your home, it is likely because there is a source of decomposing organic material that flies have used to lay their eggs. Here are some common reasons why you might find maggots:
How to get rid of maggots
“If not, make sure all food scraps are sealed in biodegradable bags or wrapped tightly before being placed in the bin.
“For certain types of waste like food, nappies, or pet waste, try to use two bags instead of one. These will seal them better and reduce the risk of leaks.
“If possible, keep food waste in a smaller, sealed container and only transfer it to the larger bin closer to collection day.”
In addition to this, you can also sprinkle insect repellents on the rim and base of your bin.
Mark said: “[Insect repellants are] a natural and effective way to kill maggots by dehydrating them.
Common pests in the garden don’t need to be a cause for alarm. If you can identify them, you can work on getting rid of them and preventing them from returning.
Aphids (Greenfly, Blackfly)
Aphids are extremely common and can impact plant growth. They have tiny soft pear-shaped bodies, and are usually green or black. You may spot them clustered on the stem of soft shoots – look under leaves in particular – or may find a sticky substance on your plants that gives away aphids have been there sucking at the sap.
Whitefly
These small white-winged insects are related to aphids, at just 1 or 2 mm in length, and look very much like white moths as adults. They can be found on the underside of leaves, preferring younger, fresher leaves. They fly in clusters when you disturb them. Their lifecycle is only three weeks long, which means an infestation can occur very rapidly.
Slugs
An unmissable, squashy-looking body plus small sensory tentacles on its head. Slugs move along on one muscular foot. They range in scale from surprisingly small to terrifyingly large; limax cinereoniger species can grow comfortably beyond 20 cm in length.
Cabbage Moth Caterpillar
Cabbage moth caterpillars happily make their way into the heart of the vegetables, The caterpillars are distinguished in shades of yellow or browny green with no hair.
Mealy Bug
Mealybugs are tiny oval-shaped insects that have a white, powdery wax coating. There are several different species, many of which have what looks like legs coming from their sides and back end. In their earliest stage of life, it’s entirely possible to mistake them for fungus and not recognise them as insects at all.
“Reapply after cleaning or every few days during the hot months like August.”
Finally, with temperatures rising and heat helping maggots grow, keeping your bins in shaded areas will slow down the process.
Mark concluded: “Where possible, store the bin in a garage, shed, or under a shaded overhang.
“This will reduce the likelihood of maggot infestations and minimise bad smells caused by all the waste.”
