Learning how to kill maggots is a practical solution for all pet owners to control the larvae, before they cause harm to the household pets. Effective ways include pouring warm water, steam application, using beer, and spraying chemical pesticides.
The term maggot is used to refer larval stage of any insect. Truly, it is the larval phase of the dipteran insects. Whichever you refer to, maggots are popularly used by anglers for baiting fish. In some schools of medicine, these larvae are used for treating non-responsive wounds, and the treatment approach comes under maggot therapy. In the downside story, their infestation in household pets is really difficult to deal with. Considering this, a responsible pet owner should know how to kill them, and try controlling them as soon as possible.
With warm climate, comes swarms of flies, and they end up laying eggs in certain places, like a trash bin or other damp areas. As far as the life cycle is concerned, the eggs hatch into whitish colored maggots within a few days time. If you have pets at home, immediate control of these crawling larvae becomes a necessity. A delay in taking action may cause spreading of these fly larvae to indoor areas or pet dwelling places. And the expected outcome is maggot infesting household pets, including dog and sheep.
» Pour Boiling water
An effective home remedy is using boiling water. All you need is to boil enough water in a pot, and pour it over the maggots. The larvae will die instantly after pouring steamy hot water over them. Ensure that the water quantity is sufficient to kill all of them. Otherwise, they may disperse as soon as they are exposed to hot temperature, thanks to their fast crawling ability.
» Steam Application
Pouring boiled water is not applicable for all cases of infestation. Say for instance; you saw a few maggots in your pet’s fur, or there are a few sticking to the carpet. In such cases, you cannot pour or splash hot water. For such conditions, fill hot water in an unused container, pick the maggots with tweezers, and add them in the container. Another alternative is using a steam cleaner.
» Manual Killing
One of the simplest ways is putting an unused paper over the maggots, and step over them. This is an immediate step that you can proceed with, at the first sight of these crawling creatures, without requiring any preparatory step. Nevertheless, this option is restricted for mild infestations, and may not work with too many maggots at the infested areas.
» Drowning in Beer
As we all know, maggots as well as mature flies are attracted to alcoholic beverages, and other foul-smelling substances. You can take the advantage of this, and kill them using beer. All you need is a large, unused bowl, and fill it with beer. Depending upon the severity of infestation, and number of infested areas, be ready with one or more bowls, filled with beer. Place them near the infested sites, and they will crawl to the bowls.
» Use Chemicals
You can use safe pesticides which are formulated for getting rid of fly larvae. Though this method works quite well in eliminating them, use spray to kill maggots as the last resort. Make sure you stick to the specific concentration and usage directions recommended in the package.
Instead of killing maggots, a better way is to prevent them from hatching in and around the house. For this, you need indoor and outdoor sanitation on a regular basis. Remember to keep the trash bins tightly covered all the time. In the rooms, particularly kitchen and bathroom, use homemade fly traps to control flies. Implementing basic hygiene tips and personal cleanliness will surely help in avoiding the infestation.