– Most people shudder when they see maggots in their bin composter or compost pile. They may be startling in their appearance and movement, but they won't hurt you or the compost. In fact, they play a role in breaking down plant and animal tissues.
The discovery of maggots in compost isn't the end of your pile, and there are things you can do to get rid of them. Such as adding layers of brown, well-dried things like leaves, straw, and egg cartons. This will dry the compost out and reduce the amount of food available to the fly.
Grubs in compost are actually beneficial for the compost! They help aerate and loosen compacted parts of compost materials and break down organic matter as they feed. There's no need to panic if you find grubs in your compost.
Tips to Avoid Maggots
Don't leave food scraps on top of the pile. Cover them with brown layers. Some people add a tablespoon of vinegar per 20 pounds of compost to deter flies and maggots. Place a homemade or store-bought fly trap near the compost bin to attract them away.
There are flies or maggots in the farm!
Tiny little vinegar flies are occasionally present in worm farms (and compost bins) and are absolutely nothing to worry about. If larger flies or maggots are present, it is generally a sign that food (especially meat) is rotting rather than being eaten by your worms.
The BSF larvae do not appear to be harmful to worms; in fact they may be beneficial, as worms cannot eat food until it has rotted and the larvae break down this food for them.
If you want to remove them, do so by liberally applying Tumbleweed Worm Farm & Compost Conditioner, or placing bread soaked in milk on the surface of the compost. Larvae love bread and should infest it. Remove the bread (and maggots) after two to three days and bury them in the soil somewhere.
Many people also find that large quantities of salt kills maggots. Most of the maggots will go when the bin is emptied. Once emptied the bin can be cleaned out with disinfectant or bleach and plenty of water.
The only way you can get maggots in your compost is if an adult BSF lays eggs. So while compost needs good airflow, that doesn't mean that you need to provide huge holes for the flies to enter and exit from. Covering the air holes with a mesh screen is often enough to stop more eggs from being laid.
Maggots can't live in the acidity of vinegar. Mix 3 parts water to 1 part vinegar and pour the solution directly over the maggots. Let the mixture sit for about an hour before you discard the maggots and clean the area.
Bleach and water mixture
'You can mix bleach 50/50 with water and pour it onto maggots to kill them quickly,' he says. 'If the maggots are in your trash can, you can also close it after pouring bleach inside to kill those maggots that are not covered with the liquid with toxic bleach fumes. '
These little flies are vinegar flies or drosophila, and the reason why they're found in the compost bin or worm farm is because they feed on and breed in rotting fruit and vegetable matter, and their larvae (maggots) feed on micro-organisms. They're short-lived, with a lifespan of around 50 days.
Spray them with vinegar.
The easiest way to kill them is boiling water, but we obviously don't want you dumping boiling water into your compost bucket. We've had some success spraying them with standard household white vinegar (5%).
Eggs hatch in a few days and the larvae burrow down into the soil to feed on small roots, root hairs, and germinating seeds. After feeding for 1-3 weeks, maggots begin to pupate in plant roots or the surrounding soil. There are several generations per year.
Are Tiny White Worms Bad for the Worm Farm? Potworms do no harm in the worm bin. In fact, these tiny white worms are actually quite beneficial to help break down the compost. However if their populations get too high, they will compete for food with Red Wiggler worms.
What causes maggots and how do maggots form? Flies are attracted to the contents of bins — particularly if there's food in there — and then, once in the bin, they lay their eggs on the rubbish. The eggs are hard to spot, but they then hatch into maggots, which are much more noticeable.
Generally, maggots live for around five to six days before turning into pupae and eventually transitioning into adult flies.
Binkill has been designed to protect bins for three months with a vapour that is deadly to flies, maggots and other insects. It also deodorises the bin by emitting a pleasant lemon citrus fragrance.
Vinegar. If you want to try a more natural method, try a solution of one part vinegar with three parts boiling water. This solution will kill the live maggots and will also remove the fly-attracting odors from your trash can, temporarily preventing them from laying eggs.
Spray citronella oil on top of the bin contents. Use tags such as “Binkill” to deter flies and maggots for up to three months. Consider boiling water to get rid of maggots if your bins do become infested.
Boiling water. It's free, it's quick, it's effective, and it kills maggots in an instant. No bug sprays or other insecticides required.
If you find any maggots in your bin, throw in a couple of kettles of boiling water. Be aware that they WILL climb out of the bin, so try and wash them all down, and then shovel some soil or sand on top to keep them from climbing out.
Combine equal parts bleach and hot water in your garbage cans and close the lid. The fumes will kill the maggots and disinfect the surface area, hopefully keeping them away. Bleach will ensure no traces of the maggots, and they will not come back later.