Sunday, April 7, 2013

The Postmaster's Maggots

This morning, we came into the kitchen to find the floor crawling with maggots.

Maggots.

MAGGOTS.

I mean, really. Maggots? Have you ever heard of anything so disgusting? Where did they come from? Why were they there? Who has maggots in their kitchen?! We've certainly had a few flies to contend with lately, but nothing I would think would cause such an outbreak.

They didn't seem to be coming from any one direction and we couldn't find their source. They weren't particularly concentrated in any zone or in the bin or behind the fridge. They were all just wafting aimlessly around in different directions.

I vacuumed them up and vacuumed them up and still more kept appearing. I would vacuum one patch of floor, turn to do another and then turn back again and more were there. It was like they were popping out of thin air.

Maggots. Ew.

Aside from the excitement of our unwelcome house guests, I think we may have decided on names for both places. We're going with The Headmaster's House (Little House) and The Postmaster's House (Big House). The idea actually came from Dan after I read him the comments from the last post and I love it - it's not too twee, it's a nice play on words and it references the origins of both buildings.

I imagine the Headmaster would be feeling pretty peeved that his house is a fraction the size of the Postmaster's residence, but at least he doesn't have a kitchen full of maggots to contend with.

19 comments:

  1. You may have to check up in the roof space. As a kid we once found them appearing on the kitchen bench but couldnt work it out. Turns out there was a dead rat in the ceiling and they were dropping out the smallest crack in a cornice.

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  2. really???.....good grief sounds rather horrific....zaras prob right...check that roof space or under the floor if the boards are gappy. it happened at my old work once where they all crawled out of the ducted a/c.....hope it wasn't some idea of a joke from the ferals?
    x

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  3. agree with the girls above - smell might have gone but they'll be appearing from somewhere, and the wriggly little boogers can travel a long distance reallllly fast. I think a strong detol solution (or metho) in a spray bottle steadies em up a bit too. (I know this as the kids have from time to time, left the scrap bucket half way to the chook run on the pavers and I have had to clean up the evidence...)

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  4. I had exactly the same thought as Zara, look up, or else you might find a few down your shirt. Eeek. I have a bit of a maggot phobia, even reading this post was making me gag slightly. This blog just has it all covered really, Freedom kitchens one minute, maggots the next, and lets not forget the snakes. mel x

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  5. Yes, there must be something dead somewhere. The ceiling space sounds like may be it. Is there nothing you can't contend with!?

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  6. Because they kept appearing after you cleaned this could have been insect larvae from some other source than flies. Maggots have such a distinctive smell, but other larvae smell better. They could have come from under the floorboards towards the light. We had wasp larvae do this.
    You can prevent possums, rats, and insects in your roof cavity quite easily. Buy several boxes of naphthalene flakes. Open them and place the opened boxes in the roof cavity. Just reach inside the manhole. The heat will cause evaporation but the smell should stay in the roof space. It is the smell which will send the animals to another destination. It will also discourage all sorts of insects. It will not kill possums and rats, and is completely humane. Naphthalene is a poison, but used this way should be harmless to humans. Replace the boxes (they will be empty by then) every year.

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  7. I actually had the same thing the other day, only I just thought the kids had spilled some rice or something on the floor- until I noticed they were moving YUCK!!!!- know just where you are coming from!
    Love the names of the houses!

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  8. EWW, mystcial maggots! That would have been seriously gross! Love the names. I'd love to know if our house had a name, I don't think so, but I'm tempted to make one up :)

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  9. We had a maggot invasion earlier this year, after all that rain. Ew is an understatement. Hope you find the source of it. xx

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  10. Buy a few flytraps from the hardware store and hang outside in a tree close to the house to reduce the fly numbers with no screens in your house.A good cotton mosquitoe net makes sleeping more enjoyable in these old queenslander houses too. Check your roof as someone suggested, we have had small bats in ours.

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  11. HI Edwina,

    I saw this last night and collapsed into hysterics with my husband. The exact same thing happened to us some years ago and I honestly thought it was THE END! We were living in a very ordinary house and it was hard work. One night, I was doing the dishes and after I wiped the sink clean, I noticed a few wrigglies were in it. Then I came back later and there were more. This continued for quite some time and then we had heaps all over the kitchen. It was REVOLTING!

    I can only laugh now as it is over! I even blogged about it a couple of months ago:

    http://stonefruitseason.blogspot.com.au/2013/02/when-being-surrounded-by-things-you.html

    I hope you feel reassured that it's not just you!

    Take care and watch out for things that wriggle!

    Cheers

    Lucy

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  12. Hmmm. I think I'd prefer the snake to the maggots. There must be a simple reason and a magical solution. You really are getting back to nature.
    Meanwhile the names are perfect!

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  13. Love the names!
    We rented a house when we were first married, and immediately after we moved in were inundated with miller moths. Every night for weeks as soon as the lights were turned on they would be circling the light fixtures, swooping about our heads, catching in my hair and clothes, still gives me the creeps!!
    We 'got' them by whipping up bowls of suds and holding them up to the light. when they hit the wet suds they couldn't fly, but it was a long month and not particularly entertaining after the first night!

    Love what you are doing to your house(s)- Looking forward to the finish!

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  14. Yep has happened to us too. Normally something has sat too long in the bin or the compost bin. Maggots are pretty quick so they cover a lot of distance in a short amount of time. Glad you are happy with the names.

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  15. We had the same thing. Check that roof!

    Jeni
    Northern Rivers Dreaming

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  16. How horrendous, Edwina. I can't imagine that. At all. Lots of sensible advice above, I think! Adore the names. J x

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  17. On a lighter note - maggots make good burley if you are going fishing :). Love the house names, very appropriate. A little house near us is called "The Bails" as it was originally part of a dairy farm and the little 2 storey house used to be the milking shed, or bails, and the hay was stored on the mezzanine floor above.

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