In the previous post, we talked about the danger of having carpet beetles in your carpets, and how to fight them. Turns out, they are not the only nasty thing that can contaminate our carpets. When you see a usual fly going around the house irritating yourself, you have to realize that you see only part of the problem. A fly is only the tip of the iceberg. While the majority of the flies just buzz around and don’t create a serious health risk, they may actually invade your home, and lay their eggs somewhere in your house. Or maybe they already did. If the worst has happened, and you noticed it too late, you face the next question – “How to get rid of the maggots in the carpet?”
This post will answer that question and many others you may have related to the flies’ lifecycle and contamination caused by the maggots.
How Do Maggots Look Like?
Maggots are the larvae of the flies, so they look similar to all the other larvae. Really ugly fellas. Maggots have cream-colored small bodies. If they feed well, the largest of those can reach up to 20mm in length.
Surprisingly, they don’t have any legs but always walk into your life at the worst possible time. Let’s admit it, it’s never a good time to have maggots on the carpet.
Maggots have 2 small hooks instead, and they use these hooks to eat food.
Where Do Maggots Come from?
Maggots infestation doesn’t happen out of the blue, there is always a cause and bad factors that contributed to their appearance. As we all know, flies get attracted by rotten food, so it’s no wonder that they usually choose this food as the new home for laying the eggs. These eggs will later hatch and become maggots. If you wish to see what caused the maggot appearance in our home, make a thorough check of the food waste, and any areas that might be dirty enough to attract the flies.
Later, when dealing with maggots, you’ll have to concentrate your efforts on these areas first (fly breeding areas)
- Places with poor sanitation. I’m sure you don’t have these if you read our blog, but still.
- Poorly stored (or neglected) food.
- Decaying animals (in ceilings, walls, bushes, etc.). Such as rats, crows, etc.
- Trash cans and dumpsters. They can be located outside, yet the larvae may find their way in.
- Drains and broken plumbing lines.
- Feces and manure.
When the maggots start growing and enter their “adulthood”, you may also see visible signs of their presence at home. What’s interesting, very little time passes between the appearance of flies and the moment you start noticing the maggots. Many species of flies are able to become mature for breeding in only a few weeks, and then the number of maggots will explore in a geometrical progression. You have to be very vigilant to stop this chain of new flies on time. Even after you’re removed all of them, thorough monitoring is absolutely necessary. Even a single missed fly can start the problem once again.
How are Maggots Formed?
To understand the appearance of maggots, take a look at the life cycle of a fly presented below.
Maggot is a larva stage of the fly, and they can be “born” to any type of fly. Some common types of flies causing home maggots include a housefly and a fruit fly. These insects lay eggs, and then these eggs develop into maggots. Maggots then in turn into the pupae, which grows into a fly, lays eggs, and the cycle of life goes on. During these 4 stages, the fly completes a total metamorphosis, isn’t that amazing? What’s even more interesting is that the larvae and the fly can be found in different places. That’s one of the reasons you may have maggots in the carpet, while the flies only prefer eating in your kitchen.
A very short period passes from the moment the fly lays eggs and until the larvae appear. It usually ranges from eight to twenty-four hours. The development of the larva takes from five to fourteen days. During this period, the larvae feed on the environment in which the fly laid eggs.
To become a great home for larvae, carpets should be moist and have enough dirt inside to allow the maggots to grow and develop. I’m sure you have followed all the hygienic procedures of caring for the carpet, but sometimes being away from home even for a few weeks is enough to find a maggot colony living in your favorite carpet.
Health Risks of Having Maggots in the Carpet (and other parts of the house)
Despite what some media say, maggots have a considerable dagger for health. They can carry different bacteria that can develop into diseases, some of them pretty transmittable. There have been a few cases when interaction with maggots had fatal consequences. These are just a few physical symptoms one may develop when contacting with maggots:
- Allergy
- Skin irritation, swollen skin
- Attacks of fever
- Myiasis
- Stomach pain
- Difficulty in breathing
- Diarrhea
- Food poisoning
- Swollen face
- Development of blindness and deafness
- Conjunctivitis
As you see, some of these symptoms are pretty serious and life-threatening. You should take the maggots in the carpets and house lightly. Moreover, remember that the area that was contaminated by maggots also has a 99% chance to have these diseases present. You don’t just have to remove the maggots, but disinfect the whole area where they used to live. Flyers are nasty creatures, they sit on unbelievably dirty things and consume them.
Touching the carpet where maggots lived can also cause the person to develop sickness.
Another dangerous risk of maggots is the physiological effect they have on people. This disease is called vermiphobia and is very difficult to live with. People with vermiphobia can develop panic attacks just by seeing the maggots on the carpet, let alone touch them. Symptoms of this phobia include but are not limited to sweating, rapid heartbeat, feeling of panic.
Effective Methods to Get Rid of Maggots in the Carpet
If you have noticed the maggots, you’ve very likely seen the source that caused their spreading. Old food remains, filth near the trash bin – these are the main factors that help the spread of maggots in the house, and eventually their life on the carpets. That’s why you should start the fight against maggots from proper sanitation. First of all, start with the kitchen. This is the most widespread place where maggots are found in large quantities. The remains of food usually originate from the kitchen, so make the revision of your trash bins, storage compartments, etc. Clean the kitchen floors and mop them well, clean the countertop. Only then you should proceed to the direct carpet cleaning to effectively get rid of the maggots.
If you have noticed maggots in the garage carpet, clean the trash bin area first and look for the source of food/dead animal, grease that could lead to this infestation. Clean all the areas that have flies, dropped food, or feces.
Now, let’s get ready for the carpet cleaning!
Boric Acid to Get Rid of Maggots in the Carpet
To get rid of maggots on the carpet, you will need to properly clean the carpet and use boric acid. I’ve come across some guides that suggest people use hydrogen peroxide and bleach, but they can hurt your carpets even more than the maggots. These chemical substances will discolor the carpets and worsen their quality and looks. Boric acid is the best solution for the maggots problem.
Follow the simple steps in carpet cleaning, and maggots will soon be a thing of the past.
- Put on the protective equipment – glows, face mask. That’s a must!
- Sprinkle the boric acid powder all over the carpet that has maggots. Make sure that the powder covers it evenly. Use a brush or a broom to spread out the powder and push it deep into the carpet fibers. The more it goes into the fibers, the more chance that even the smallest larvae get destroyed. How does this solution work? Boric acid is an aggressive substance that cuts through the maggot bodies, destroying them right away.
- Once you have applied the boric acid, leave it for a few minutes, take a break.
- Vacuum the carpet to remove the remains of the maggots from the carpet together with the boric acid.
- If you notice that there are still some maggots left in the carpet, and they look quite alive, repeat the process. Apply more boric acid, and vacuum the carpet.
- When you collect all the dead maggots into the vacuum bag, dispose of them in an outdoor trash can.
Steam Clean the Carpet
Just like with the fleas removal from the carpet, steam cleaning is a great way to finalize your anti-maggot efforts. High-temperature treatment will destroy the remaining maggots that the vacuum could have missed. When you’re done with steam cleaning, dispose of this water into the toilet.
Chemical Methods
There are many special sprays and powders that help to get rid of maggots in carpets. Always choose an insecticide that is non-toxic. The label should say that it’s safe to use around children, dogs, and cats. Always read the label before use, this applies not only to maggot treatment but to all types of cleaning. For even better results, hire a carpet cleaner.
Products that Help to Get Rid of Maggot Infestation
I’ve collected the most popular products available on Amazon, which proved effective against the maggots. They have the best review score and helped thousands of people to get rid of the maggots in the carpets.
- Harris Home Insect Killer: An odorless and non-staining insecticidal spray used for bugs, fleas, mosquitoes, and spiders.
- Bonide Insect Control for Plants: lasting defense pest control used for aphid, mite, ant, beetle, scale, leaf miner, worm, and more than 100 listed bug species.
- Fly Beater Fly and Odor Reducer: This product is great for repelling different types of flies: house, stable, deer, horn, horse, and garbage flies.
How to Prevent the Appearance of Maggots in the Carpet
Once you have made a thorough cleaning on your home and carpets, it’s time to make sure that the infestation will not repeat. There are a few preventative measures that you can take. As I said above, maggots appear only in places where hygiene is neglected, so your number one rule should be to try and clean the carpets on a regular basis. Moreover, you should reduce the risk of maggots by following these precautions:
- Reduce the amount of food waste, do the sorting more thoroughly.
- Make sure that flies don’t have access to your trash cans, cover them with lids.
- Don’t leave food unattended at home for a long time, if you don’t plan to eat it. If the weather is warm, food can spoil even in a few hours, attracting the flies.
- Rinse the used food trays, don’t store them for too long before cleaning.
- Double wrap all the food waste, including the pet food waste.
- Consider having some fly-repelling plants, such as Citronella. Flies hate it.
- Make it a rule to check the trash big and the area around it regularly, to see that there are no larvae developing.
- Get a spray against the flies. It’s easier to repel the flies than get rid of the maggots.
Conclusion
Not everyone realizes that maggots can cause serious harm to their health. As you see, getting rid of the maggots in the carpet is a complex process, but it is absolutely possible. With proper tools and regular cleaning, your carpets will be fresh as new, and you won’t have any signs of annoying pests.