Bugs growing in my garbage

marie-p

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I was just cleaning and I found some bugs on the lid of my kitchen garbage can. They looked like some sort of larvae. They're about the size of a grain of rice or a bit bigger and they don't move. Actually, when I tried to remove them by rinsing them away, it didn't work. They were well attached to that lid.

I don't know what kind of larvea they could be. I've had a lot of fruit flies lately (they seem to be going away now) but I'm not sure if these could be their larvae... some of them were bigger than fruit flies.

Now I'm kind of grossed out
I really don't like having sneaky little bugs growing around. Is there anything I can do to prevent them from coming back? How about spraying a cleaning product in the garbage once in a while... would that keep them away?
 

ollyextra05

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Those, my dear, are maggots.

Take your garbage can outside and wash the inside out with bleach and water!!!!
 

dixie_darlin

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Originally Posted by marie-p

I was just cleaning and I found some bugs on the lid of my kitchen garbage can. They looked like some sort of larvae. They're about the size of a grain of rice or a bit bigger and they don't move. Actually, when I tried to remove them by rinsing them away, it didn't work. They were well attached to that lid.

I don't know what kind of larvea they could be. I've had a lot of fruit flies lately (they seem to be going away now) but I'm not sure if these could be their larvae... some of them were bigger than fruit flies.

Now I'm kind of grossed out
I really don't like having sneaky little bugs growing around. Is there anything I can do to prevent them from coming back? How about spraying a cleaning product in the garbage once in a while... would that keep them away?
Sounds like maggots

Sorry I don't have any advice for you
 

gailc

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I have a "compost bucket" where I toss my veggie scraps in the garage which gets emptied into my compost bins and I always have those. Do you use garbage bags?? If you toss out food those things are sure to appear-you might need to use more garbage bags.
 
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marie-p

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EWWWWWWWW!!!!


Alright, I had already cleaned the lid with bleach and water. They're all gone now.

Unfortunately, I can't have compost because I live in an apartment.
I do use garbage bags, but the maggots were only on the lid, which is obviously not covered by the bag.
I'll probably have to settle for cleaning the lid more often.
 

rapunzel47

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Originally Posted by GailC

I have a "compost bucket" where I toss my veggie scraps in the garage which gets emptied into my compost bins and I always have those. Do you use garbage bags?? If you toss out food those things are sure to appear-you might need to use more garbage bags.
Yup. Got 'em, too, in the "compost in transit" bin. And, yes, I'm sure they are fruit fly larvae, because it's when the fruit flies are around that we see them.

ETA: You can help the fruit fly situation by putting out bait for them. I find this attracts them pretty well and is easy to concoct and change: In a 1/2 litre bottle (a glass milk bottle is ideal) put 1-2 tablespoons liquid honey; add an equal amount of vinegar (white is fine) and swish to dissolve the honey. Add warm water to about 1.5 inches, swish to mix; drop a single drop of dishwashing liquid on top of the mix -- to break the surface tension of the water and drown the little monsters quicker. Leave the open bottle on the counter near where they congregate. When you've caught a bunch, dump the contents of the bottle down the drain, and make up a new batch. Good luck.
 

esrgirl

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I accidentally stuck my hand in a garbage can full of maggots. It was horrible. Just make sure you take your garbage out at a minimum of every other day- sooner if you are throwing away any meat.
 

jenny82

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We take our garbage out every day or every other day, but our trash outside only gets picked up once a week. So we almost always have maggots in our outside trashcan. We clean it out and they come back again. It's disgusting!!
 

luckygirl

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just reading this is making me itchy....

SO GROSS! Does anyone have a solution for a raccoon so BIG that it could eat my cat???? I have one of those that rummages through my trash every day, and leaves a giant mess!!!!
 

ashleigh

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I've had so many maggots this summer, not indoor bin but outside wheelie bin.

The council empty the housewaste bin one week, the recycle bin and garden bin the next week, so housewaste is emptied every two weeks, in my opinion with the heat we've had that's far too long! In the winter it wouldn't be so bad, but extreme heat is a breeding ground for them! and not to mention the flies once they've become them.
They have had so many complaints I hope they change it by next summer, it's so gross!
 

esrgirl

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You can easily get maggots in your house. I unfortunately found an old plastic container that contained, among other things, maggots. It was horrible. Maggots are just fly larvae and they thrive on meat. Any meat left out is game.
 

trouts mom

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Any garbage left out actually..flies loooooooove garbage. Make sure you have a tight fitting lid on the garbage to prevent the flies from getting in there to lay eggs.
 

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Hi Marie-p

I had the same issue with these little tikes before. Just wait till they come out of their cocoon and they become flight capable!
Just get rid of the garbage as soon as it's full-and still in the bag, take the bag out of the house and let your local Waste Management
Service take care of the rest. Then again, you mentioned "lid of garbage can". Seems you might not be living in an apartment likeI do.
Try anything you can to get them off your property. I found a cheap way of getting rid of small roaches. Use Fabreez. It just might work.
Best wishes.

Al-G
 

catlover19

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I do use garbage bags, but the maggots were only on the lid, which is obviously not covered by the bag.
I'll probably have to settle for cleaning the lid more often.
I bet they were in the bag too and you just didn't notice them. At my old house, my garbage always had maggots in the summer and they were all over the lid, but they were inside the bag too. They are just not usually visible unless you look inside. I had a bag rip open and maggots were all over inside of it. 
 Made a big disgusting mess.

I don't put any food scraps in the garbage anymore and have not seen any maggots yet this year. We have a green bin that always pet waste, food scraps, paper towels, tissues etc goes in and its pretty tightly sealed.
 

andrya

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They're nasty little buggers aren't they! One of my cats keeps the fly population down in the house (ewww), but l put the kitchen garbage bag into a big black bag in the garage every day. l'll bet they're just teeming with maggots in this heat. l'm pretty sure those things hatch in less than a day so l don't think there's really much you can do if you have to throw out food in your kitchen, outside of sealing the top of the bag, and making sure the lid's tight, as someone suggested.
 
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