How do maggots form?

Many people wonder how maggots got in their house, but they simply do not understand how maggots form. In this article, you will find the answer behind the mysterious, unwanted maggots.

So, how do maggots form? Maggots are born from a fly’s egg. They are the larvae stage of a fly. A pregnant fly only takes 24 hours before they lay their eggs and it will take another 24 hours for the maggots to take form and emerge from the egg.

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Maggots have a simple life cycle. There are only “three” stages from the life cycle of flies or maggots. The beginning of maggots mark the beginning of their transformation into adult flies.

Larvae stage
- Staying as a larvae
- Preparing for pupation
Pupation stage
- Slow transformation
Adult fly stage
- Repeat the cycle

Maggots live for five to eight days then turn into pupa that will transform into adult flies. Without food or source of water, they can last for two to three days.

Maggots only live as maggots for a short period of time. Sometimes, their development could depend on the temperature.

Development can be delayed under cold weather and there is a lower chance of survival if a maggot thrives under cold temperatures.

The goal of maggots is to eat as much as they can, in order to store enough energy for pupation.

The pupation stage is the part where they cover themselves and remain still as their body slowly undergoes a transformation to turn into adult flies.

Most species of maggots only have to stay as maggots for five to eight days. They have to stay up to eight days if they weren’t able to eat enough.

As adult flies, most species live up to 28 to 30 days. There are a few ones that could live longer than the average fly, but they mostly only live for a month.

However, they easily produce hundreds of eggs that hatches into maggots 24 hours right after laying them.

As you read on, you’ll find a more detailed explanation of how maggots form.

How maggots form

Here is where maggots begin to form and what their next stages will be.

1. Larvae stage

Before entering the pupation stage, maggots actually undergo through multiple molting periods which is necessary to attain new forms before taking on a “new level” which is becoming a pupa.

How long maggots stay as larvae

Maggots stay in their larvae stage for as long as five to ten days.

When the maggot is born, their first priority is eating in order to store as much energy as possible to get ready for pupation, the stage where they transform into adult flies from pupa.

Normally, maggots need to eat for three to five days but it can be longer than that if they are having difficulty finding food. It happens when they are born in a place where the food is not enough for hundreds of maggots.

Where maggots go to enter pupation

Once the maggot has already stored enough energy to enter the pupation stage, they will now look for a dark, secluded place that can secure their safety. Usually, a maggot pupa can be found underneath garbage bins or dark unattended corners.

2. Pupation stage

After finding a safe place away from predators, the maggot will enter and begin the pupation stage after four days. They will then begin their transformation slowly and the process usually takes up to ten days.

As soon as the pupation stage ends, the maggots turned larvae turned pupa can now become adult flies.

3. Adult fly

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When the pupation stage ends, the once maggot is now an adult fly that is also ready to lay its own eggs within two days. This will allow their kind to repeat the same process over and over again, keeping their kind going as the world continues to revolve.

Gestation period

Now that the maggots have become adult flies, they are not able to lay their own eggs. A fly stays pregnant for only 24 hours and the egg also hatches after another 24 hours which makes it easy for flies to keep their numbers up.

Repeating the same process, the adult fly will lay its egg on places where the maggots can easily feed off. Usually, they prefer to lay the eggs on decaying corpses because it provides enough food for hundreds of maggots and lasts for days.

What causes maggots to form

If you are wondering why there are maggots in your area, here’s an explanation.

Whatever attracts a fly may cause maggots. Here’s a list of things that attracts flies which ends up causing maggots.

Garbage
Feces
Plants
Carcasses
Liquid substances
Unattended food
Warm temperatures
Light sources
Other flies or insects
Unkempt rooms

Learn more: “What Causes Maggots?“

How to get rid of maggots

Maggots are easier to get rid of because they do not have wings or legs for mobility and escaping.

They usually only wriggle around slowly, giving you just enough time to get rid of them before they find the right places to hide. Even if maggots take form, you can easily get rid of them.

It is important that you get rid of maggots immediately before they can hide and turn into flies. Here are five ways you to get rid of maggots.

Spray maggot repellents
- The most effective way to get rid of maggots including flies and the eggs in the area where they hatched is spraying an insect repellent. However, you must clean up their remains from the moment they die.
- There are a lot of fly or maggot insecticides that can be purchased from any local store so if you see one, you should immediately buy yourself an insect repellent to get rid of them. It works quickly and all it takes is a few spray and you’re done!
- You just have to make sure that you will also clean the area afterwards to make sure there are no other eggs and keep your garbage bins closed so that no other flies can come back around to lay their eggs on it once again which will cause more maggots and flies.
Boiling water
- According to research, maggots don’t really drown but spilling boiling water on them can hurt them. So, if you want to get rid of them immediately without having to go to the store to buy repellents, you can try to use boiling water first.
  
  Just make sure that it is really boiling so it will be effective and clean out the area afterwards as it can potentially just make the maggots hide somewhere or go deeper into the area where you can’t see it. Secure the area and make sure it is clean.
Sprinkling salt
- Some people claim that sprinkling a good amount of salt on maggots worked for them.
  
  However, there are different kinds of maggots out there which means it may or may not work but it’s definitely worth the try, isn’t it? We need to get rid of those maggots! You can try to drop a few and see the reaction.
  
  If it works on one of the maggots, then you can assume that it might work for the others as well. If it’s not enough, then you can try the boiling water too. You have many options and you should use them as much as you can.
Raise a pet
- Another way you can get rid of those maggots is actually raising an animal that naturally preys on insects like flies and maggots. If you are a fan of amphibian or reptile pets, it’s your time to take advantage of that. Pets like frogs, chameleons, iguanas, lizards and geckos can clear those maggots for you.
  
  Some type of birds also eats maggots and spiders on the other hand also eat and catch those kinds of insects.
  
  One more exotic option for you is the Venus flytrap plant. Although it is a plant, some people like to refer to it as a “pet”. You can feed those maggots to your Venus flytrap plant and they can also catch some of the flies hanging around so the number of eggs turning into maggots will also be lessened.
Use force
- Worst comes to worst, sometimes we must just use force because we don’t really have a repellent available all of the time or have the energy to boil water and see if the salt method works.
  
  You can try to burn the maggots off or crushing them with a solid object… but we want to avoid being so violent as much as possible… so just buy yourself a repellent!