How to keep maggots and pests out of your trash cans
3 min read
Maggots, flies, and other pests all show up for the same reason: a trash can is a reliable source of food and smell. Cut off the food and the smell, and the pests lose interest. Here is how.
Why pests show up
Flies are drawn to the smell of rotting food and lay eggs in the residue on the can. Those eggs hatch into maggots within a day in warm weather. The common thread is the residue coating the inside of the can. As long as it is there, the can keeps advertising itself to pests.
What keeps them out
Bag and tie your trash so food is not exposed, keep the lid closed where possible, and rinse up spills before they pool at the bottom. Keeping the can in shade slows decay and reduces the smell that attracts flies.
The step most people skip is cleaning the can itself. Washing out the residue removes the food source and the smell, which is what actually breaks the cycle.