Garages usually become infested with a number of different pests, mainly because the standards of cleanliness and hygiene that most people maintain in their homes are not followed in the garage.
If you only use the garage for storing old things and just parking your car, you might want to consider cleaning it on a regular basis.
Most people fail to carry out regular cleaning in their garage, and this causes a serious problem. With the passage of time, small pests such as flies and mosquitoes are going to find their way into the garage.
Before you know it, they will be able to establish colonies and nests, and will quickly start to multiply.
The last thing that you would want is a pest infestation inside your garage. For instance, if flies infest your garage, it won’t take long before they begin to lay eggs, which will eventually hatch into maggots.
Maggots are the larvae of the fly, and you will usually find them in the dark corners of your garage.
Flies usually give birth near areas that are hospitable to the development of the larvae. A female fly usually lives for about a month and in that period of time, she lays anywhere between 500 and 2,000 eggs. A day after it lays its eggs, the maggots will appear.
Usually, flies look for spots where they feel that they will be safe and where they feel that the larvae will be able to grow properly. More importantly, they look for sources of food before laying their eggs, because the larvae needs to feed in its first few days.
That is one of the main reasons why flies usually lay eggs in trash bins or in old or rotting food. The maggot has to eat virtually around the clock, which is why flies look for such spots where they are guaranteed a considerable amount of food on a consistent basis.
It is also one of the reasons why you need to be particularly careful about the cleanliness in your garage.
If you throw away a packet of opened food or fail to clean up after you are done eating or munching in the garage, there is a pretty strong chance that over the passage of time, this food will begin to rot, and it’s definitely going to attract flies.
If you have maggots in your garage, you might want to consider exactly what would cause them to appear inside.
Unless you are able to identify the main source, it’s going to be difficult for you to figure out how to get rid of them. Even when you do get rid of them, they are only going to reappear over time.
Here are some common things that might attract maggots in your garage.
The Food Source
Garages can prove to be quite hospitable environments for maggots because they can easily get food from a number of sources. There are quite a few warm and moist materials in the garage that can serve as the perfect place for the flies to lay eggs.
For instance, if you keep the garbage can in your garage, you are simply creating an environment that is going to attract flies.
Decay
There are certain kinds of flies that aren’t just attracted to garbage or food. They prefer laying their eggs in dead animals, such as rodents or pests. Even a dead lizard stuck in the corner of the garage is a good place for them to lay eggs.
The maggots of these flies usually survive by laying eggs in the dead animals, and surviving on the semiliquid that they produce due to decay.
In fact, the chances of finding maggots that usually feed on the corpses of dead animals are quite high, especially when compared with the normal type of house flies.
Bacteria
Another important thing that you should know is that flies are generally attracted to the smell of bacteria. If you have a wash basin or a sink inside your garage, you should know that the chances of bacteria developing in there is considerably high.
The particles of garbage and the combination of moisture make it an ideal place for bacteria to thrive.
The rising amount of dirty dishes and other household items that you might have chucked into the sink just provide an ideal location for maggots to grow.
How to Prevent Maggots
There are several different things that you can do if you want to get rid of maggots from your garage.
First and foremost, if you are ever going to eat anything in the garage, even if it’s a roll or something else, you need to make sure that you always clean up your food afterward.
Never leave anything sitting out, because maggots will appear. Secondly, if you intend on keeping something organic in your garage, whether it’s dried food or anything else, you need to make sure that you place it in a sealed container.
More importantly, if you keep your garbage in the garage, you need to make sure that you seal it up as tightly as possible after throwing it in the bin.
Also, make sure that you remove the garbage from your garage on a daily basis. In fact, it is highly preferred that you avoid keeping the garbage inside your garage; you can always keep the bins outside and put the lid down.
More importantly, you should know that flies can also lay eggs in your pet’s food.
Many people like to keep their pet’s bowl away from the house, usually in the garage. If that’s the case, you need to make sure that you clean the bowl at least once a day and pour fresh food inside, whether it’s dry or wet.
You need to make sure that proper hygiene is followed, otherwise your pet will contract some serious health problems.
Also, when was the last time you cleaned out your garbage bin? You absolutely need to make sure that the garbage bin is cleaned at least once every four to six months, or you can consider replacing it.
Using bleach is a great way to clean the garbage bin thoroughly from the inside out.
Secondly, always make sure that the lid is completely sealed shut. The flies will probably be able to smell the garbage, but as long as they don’t find a way inside, you don’t have much to worry about.
More importantly, if you have a bag of compost in your garage, you need to make sure that you seal it completely.
Compost is a major attraction for flies; it’s warm and has plenty of organic matter in the center. You need to seal it up tight to keep flies and maggots away.
Finally, you need to make sure that you seal off any holes leading into the garage. You need to carry out a close inspection of the garage and look near the windows and the doors to identify any possible openings.
Be very careful so that you are able to figure out all of the openings.
Also, if you have any holes in your screen, you might want to consider replacing the screen or use tape to cover them up.
Flies can easily find their way in through these holes. It’s important that you use a fine mesh screen so that flying insects, even the tiny ones, are not able to find their way in.
How Do You Get Rid of Maggots?
The tips given above are suitable to keep maggots out of your garage. But, what if there is already an infestation you are dealing with?
There are a number of different techniques that you can use to get rid of maggots from your garage, and depending on the circumstances and the suitable conditions, you can use one that best fits your requirements.
1 – Keep it Clean
The best way to get rid of maggots is to keep the garage neat and clean. You need to make sure that you get rid of any food sources from around the garage and regularly clean it. It is simply one of the most effective ways to get rid of maggots.
If there is no suitable place for the maggots to lay their eggs, they are simply going to lay their eggs somewhere else.
2 – Boiling Water
One of the ways to kill maggots is to pour boiling water on them. Boiling water kills maggots in an instant.
Another thing that you can do is add a bottle of bleach into the mix and at least one and a half cups of hydrogen peroxide to a gallon of boiling water. Then, just pour it on the maggots, and they will die.
However, boiling water makes a mess and you will have to be careful that you don’t burn yourself, so this method might not be suitable for everyone.
Another thing that you can use is dish soap. Dish soap is actually a pretty strong insecticide and can be used for getting rid of maggots.
Borax is added in these soaps, which is capable of getting rid of the maggots.
3 – Use a Fly Trap
There are quite a few different traps that you can buy for trapping flies in your garage.
If you want to permanently get rid of the problem, you should consider buying an electric insect killer. Those are a pretty effective choice for zapping flies and other pests around the house.
On the other hand, there are also a bunch of glue traps that are available in the market that will trap flies.
This needs to happen before the fly lays eggs, so ideally, it’s recommended that you place the trap at strategic locations around the garage, usually near the windows or other light sources.
The electronic fly trap is a more effective choice, because it emits a white UV light that attracts many flying insects.
However, one of the downsides is that they tend to zap virtually all kinds of flying insects around the house, even the ones that you might need flying in your garage.
4 – Use an Aerosol Spray
If you want to get rid of maggots in tight spaces, using a decent aerosol spray that contains pyrethrum is definitely recommended (like this Garden Safe spray available on amazon).
There are quite a few sprays out there that come with straw applicators as well, and they are a pretty decent choice for killing maggots, especially the ones that are in tight spaces.
When using an aerosol spray, you will want to make sure that you cover your face up properly. Make sure that you do not expose yourself to the gases, as they are generally harmful and can lead to long-term problems.
However, most solutions for killing flies are generally pretty straightforward.
Always Identify the Infested Areas First
Before you get started with the cleaning procedure, it is important for you to carefully identify the areas where the infestation lies.
It is imperative that you check the place as carefully as possible and identify signs of maggots. They are usually thin and slimy, and you will find them in clusters around the garage.
Ideally, you won’t see them right away. At first, the signs will become apparent: flies will start buzzing around your garage more often, and you will realize that you won’t be able to work in peace, even when the door is closed. This is usually a major red flag.
You need to make sure that you figure out all the infested areas around the garage, and then look for signs that help you determine just how the flies might have entered, or what attracted them.
Once you have figured it out, you need to start off by first killing the maggots, cleaning the place up, and then finally getting rid of the thing that attracted the maggots into your garage in the first place.
Again, cleanliness is the best way to ensure that you never have to worry about maggots in your garage.
I have a bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Systems and over 10 years of experience working in IT. As a homeowner, I love working on projects around the house, and as a father, I love investigating various ways to keep my family safe (whether or not this involves tech). I’ve also played guitar for almost 20 years and love writing music, although it’s hard to find the time these days.