1. Take out the trash frequently. Don’t let garbage sit for more than 2-3 days, especially in warm weather.
2. Bag your food waste. Double-bag meat, fish, and dairy scraps. Tie bags tightly.
3. Freeze smelly scraps. Keep a bag of meat, fish, and bones in your freezer until trash day.
4. Rinse food containers. Cans, jars, and takeout containers should be rinsed before tossing.
5. Use a trash bin with a tight-fitting lid. No lid = open invitation.
6. Clean your bin regularly. Every few weeks, hose out your bin. Scrub with hot soapy water. Disinfect with bleach or vinegar.
7. Sprinkle baking soda or diatomaceous earth. Both absorb moisture and deter fly eggs.
8. Keep your bin in the shade. Flies prefer warm, sunny spots. A shaded bin is less attractive.
How to Eliminate Maggots (If They’ve Already Arrived)
Step 1: Don’t panic. Maggots are disgusting but not dangerous to healthy people (they don’t bite or spread disease directly, though they indicate unsanitary conditions).
Step 2: Take the bin outside. Away from your house.
Step 3: Empty the bin completely. Dispose of the trash bag in a sealed container.
Step 4: Boil a large pot of water. Pour it directly over the maggots. They will die instantly.
Step 5: Scrub the bin with hot soapy water. Use a long-handled brush to reach all corners.
Step 6: Rinse with a mixture of 1 part bleach to 10 parts water. Let sit for 10 minutes.
Step 7: Rinse again with plain water. Dry completely.
Step 8: Line the bin with a new bag. Sprinkle baking soda or diatomaceous earth at the bottom.
What NOT to Do
Don’t use insecticide inside your trash bin (you’ll contaminate your trash and potentially harm animals that get into it).
Don’t use bleach on the maggots without boiling water first (bleach alone may not kill them quickly).
Don’t ignore the problem (maggots will pupate into flies, and the cycle continues).
Part Two: The Creepy “Bone” Mystery (What It Really Was)
Now, back to the bone.
The Discovery
My sister found it on the floor near the back stockroom. It was small, curved, and unmistakably bone-like. She picked it up with a paper towel (smart move) and brought it to my apartment.
