How to Get Rid of Maggots in a Wheelie Bin

It doesn’t take long for maggots to appear in a wheelie bin, as the eggs can hatch within 24 hours and the maggots come out. The maggots then spend about five days eating (feasting on the waste in your bin), preparing to pupate. This is the process when they develop a hard shell and turn into a fly.

If you don’t check your bin regularly then an infestation of maggots can soon appear. Maggots start eating from the minute their eggs hatch. As flies can lay many eggs at the same time that’s why you often find huge numbers of maggots in the same place all feasting together.

After getting rid of maggots from a bin you won’t want them to return and have to go through the whole killing process again. Or if you’re lucky enough to never have had these little larvae visitors in your wheelie bin you’ll want to keep it that way. Preventative action can help.

These are a few ways how to keep maggots out of a bin:

• Keep the bin lid shut – avoid letting any flies into your wheelie bin and they shouldn’t be able to lay eggs and hatch maggots. Keeping your wheelie bin lids closed as much as possible and ensuring there are no cracks, gaps, or other entrances minimises the opportunities for flies.
• Double bag certain waste – any food scraps, nappies, and pet waste should be double bagged. These waste types are favoured by flies and maggots to feast on, so double bagging reduces their access to such organic waste.
• Clean and dry recycling – wherever there’s food waste the risk of maggots is higher. Clean and dry all food packaging to remove all bits of leftover food before putting the likes of drinks cans, pizza boxes, polystyrene food containers, and other such waste in your recycling bins.
• Separate food waste – businesses should have specific bins for food waste. Keeping food scraps and leftovers separate from general waste reduces the amount of rubbish in such bins that maggots favour. A secure lid on your food waste wheelie bin helps keep them out too.
• Keep wheelie bins away from sunlight – it’s not always possible but keeping wheelie bins in cooler conditions reduces the chance of waste rotting fast and tempting flies. Store your wheelie bins undercover or in a storage shed where possible
• Wash your wheelie bin – clean a wheelie bin after removing maggots to prevent them from coming back. Flies can be attracted to the bad smell a dirty wheelie bin produces, so cleaning it regularly helps remove such odours.
• Use insect repellents – you can buy specific maggot repellents for bins or other insect repellents. Spray these inside and outside your wheelie bin to help ward off flies from visiting your bin to lay their eggs.