The Kitchen Appliance You Can Use To Kill Maggots

As disgusting as maggots are, it's surprisingly easy for them to end up in your home, especially during the warmer months when flies are most active. All it takes is a forgotten piece of food, an overflowing trash can, or even a pet's dirty bowl to attract the insects, which can quickly lay eggs. These squirming larvae can appear in compost bins and even drains — anywhere there is decaying organic material, there's a potential maggot situation. 

While it may seem like the solution would be to simply clean up the decaying matter and throw everything in the outdoor garbage bin, you may want to avoid doing that. Putting maggot-infested items into your outdoor container can lead to lingering odors and a full-blown fly infestation, especially in warm weather. The maggots in your bin will continue to develop into flies, creating a difficult-to-break cycle. But in your kitchen is a secret weapon that will stop it in its tracks: your freezer. Putting the maggots into this appliance before disposing of them will kill them, preventing a fly infestation from developing.

The idea of scooping up maggots and placing them in the same area where you store food may make your stomach turn. Rest assured, though, it will prevent them from proliferating in your bin and flying right back into your home to lay more eggs. And this maggot infestation hack doesn't actually require you to touch them or commingle them with your food.

If you're on board with the idea of freezing maggots, you're probably wondering how this hack works. Specifically, how you're going to get the maggots from their current residence to the freezer. The first thing you need to do is to clear out a little space in your freezer, moving your food to the side so a bag or two of maggot-infested debris can fit. Then, use a piece of cardboard to sweep the maggots into a dustpan and pour the contents into a plastic freezer bag. Seal the bag and place it in your freezer for at least 1 hour. When the hour is up, dispose of the bag and its contents in your outdoor garbage bin.

This hack is effective because of two things. The first is the cold temperature of your freezer — most maggots cannot survive in this kind of environment. They also need oxygen in order to survive and develop into their mature form, which the sealed plastic bag deprives them of. So, using this method, you can rest assured that your indoor maggot issue won't simply transfer to your outdoor bin. After the bags of insects have been disposed of, sanitize the area of the infestation with an antibacterial solution to remove any organic matter these insects feed on to prevent reinfestation.

While this hack can be an effective remedy for a maggot infestation, no one would hold it against you for not wanting to put these insects into your freezer. Fortunately, there are plenty of other methods to try. One way to get rid of maggots is to pour boiling water on them. This is a great solution if the debris they are feasting on is in a heat-safe container. If your maggot infestation is in your sink, adding a little hydrogen peroxide to the boiling water will work wonders. 

Pouring salt, garden lime, or DE (diatomaceous earth) on maggots will work as well. Each of these substances kills the maggots by dehydrating them. If you have maggots on your flooring or carpet, simply sprinkle one of these three things on your floor, allow it to do its job, and then sweep, vacuum, and mop, as needed. 

Of course, there are harsher methods to eliminate a maggot infestation. You can pour a solution of 1 part bleach and 1 part water into a spray bottle and apply it to the maggots. When maggots come into contact with bleach fumes or bleach, they will die. Insecticides, such as Raid, are also effective in addressing these infestations. The downsides to using harsh chemicals in your home, though, are that they can be harmful to both humans and pets.