Maggots in the wheely bin

[LordOfTheFly]

Really struggling at the moment with maggots in the wheely bin. Bin only gets emptied every two weeks, so I always wash and bleach it straight after. But every single time I go to put it out, there’s maggots in it. I bag all meat in food bags, dog poo goes in poo bags or a nappy liner bag, everything goes in a bin bag as well. The bin is right next to my front door, no where else to keep it. The maggots and the smell make me feel sick! Has anyone found a way to get rid of them and stop them coming back? I never used to have this problem, but it’s happened all summer and it’s driving me nuts

We have food caddies to put out every week, doesn't your council offer that?

I did once have a maggot problem in the bin, found the only thing that really worked was tipping them out on the grass, sounds gross but they were quickly consumed by birds!

Maggots only exist there if flies are getting and laying eggs. Somehow you need to figure out how they are accessing your bin...is it dog poo from the garden? If so pick up as soon as done as flies love to lay eggs in it

So is all of your rubbish being fully double bagged?

When it's fully empty after the bin men have been, put bleach and hot water from the kettle in - close the lid and kill the maggots with the steam + bleach. Then empty out + wash out the bin.

Can the dog poo go in dog poo bins? Is all food definitely being fully sealed away? Flys must be getting in and laying eggs on something somehow.

There is a powder called Bin Buddy to put in the bin. I haven't noticed any maggots in our bins before but it definitely keeps the smells and flies away.

I used to buy Bin Buddy Powder 450g (therange.co.uk)and that helped a lot but then when I once ran out I shoved some shake and vac in the bin and it worked just as well and works out cheaper so now I use shake and vac at the first sign of maggots.

I second Bin Buddy - it's pretty toxic but it works. Also make sure the lid is shut between uses, you need to stop the flies getting in, that will solve the problem long term.

Layer of salt in the bottom of the bin seems to kill them off this goes in the lorry next time it's emptied

Do you have a front garden? Birds love maggots

We haven’t had any this summer one advantage to it being a crap summer. But they are grim. Doesn’t help that no other fucker in this house seems to know to double bag and dispose of food waste right away instead of leaving stuff lying out and the food caddy open

Is the bagged dog poo from walks, or from your garden? If you’re picking it up instantly like you would on a walk, then that shouldn’t be a problem, but if you’re going into the garden and picking up poo the dog has left there previously, it maybe that flies have already laid eggs in it, which of course then hatch into maggots in the bin.

It isn't your bin that is the problem, it's what you put in it (most likely food).

If you are double bagging your rubbish (shouldn't be necessary anyway), then the flies must have laid their eggs before you bagged it. Most likely in your kitchen. Meat/fish is the most likely cause so if you are regularly throwing it in the bin, stop. Either eat it rather than throwing it away or, if it is bones/bits you can't eat, put it straight in a sealed bag in the freezer until bin day.

A dusting of ant powder will kill them.

A few Small caps of terpentine over the garbage, close the lid, and the next day you open it they are all black and dead. Also kills the gnarly smell. It will be replaced by the smell of terpentine ofcourse.
But this works for me every year. Keeps the flies out for a while also. Cheap remedy.
I dont think you can prevent maggots all the time. Bbq leftovers, sometimes a stranger or neighbour will throw in dog poo, etc

Open the lid and the birds will eat them

I covered my bin with sand. They never came back.

Flies are getting in your bin somehow. Put something heavy on the lid to keep it down.

If you have washed your bin out with bleach there's no way maggots should be in your bin. It's not the food either. Does your bin have a lid? You could tie it closed. Try Neutradol bin freshener £1 in Home bargains.

Thanks everyone. Ordering some bin buddy powder now. No idea what a food caddy is but no definitely not supplied with one.

for food (it’s usually chicken, we eat that a couple of times a week), I bag it in the plastic bags it comes from Tescos in, then keep it in the fridge until I empty the bin and then it goes in the black bin bag as I put it in the wheely bin. So it’s kind of double bagged, but can sit in the wheely bin for a few days/a week depending on when we eat it and when the bin day is.

dog poo either gets immediately bagged on the dog walk and then binned, or picked up and put in an old baby nappy bin in the garden and then sealed and put in the bin. I clean the garden daily as the kids play, and I don’t want to risk them standing in it.

I’ve never had this issue before, it’s awful! The bin is in the sunshine so I’m wondering if that encourages them somehow? We’ve got a lot of flowers and plants, I assume they’re getting in when I open the lid somehow, there doesn’t seem to be any cracks or gaps in the lid?

Watching with interest as I'm lucky enough to have the same problem

Maggot Facts: Where They Come From and How to Get Rid of Them - Dengarden

We have a wheelie bin for food/garden waste and regularly get maggots in it in the summer. Its only collected every 2 weeks as well. If I see flies I spray fly spray in the bin and have also used the bin buddy stuff for smells/to dry the maggots out.

Boiling water kills them too but makes a maggotty soup in the bin.

We have our bin cleaned every month, don't put any food in there but the feckers still lay eggs in the creases of the bin bag. Usually we find them and pour in boiling water but last year did have maggots. Boiling water will kill them but the stench they give off is horrendous

And yes to freezing any meat waste chicken carcass etc

I had this in June. After googgling I used a bottle of washing up liquid and lots of boiling water. Had no problem since.

We have a company that comes round on bin day and steam cleans our bin.
Boiling water kills them though.

Our bins get cleaned on bin days too. We still get maggots in the food bin in the summer just because there's food lying in there for 2 weeks and when it's warm it makes the food rot quicker and be more fragrant

Getting them as well and our bin is also right by the front door and can’t move it so because of this they were coming in the front door through the gap at the bottom, it was vile, bleach and hot water wasn’t killing them there was too many