If you’ve ever had a fly problem in your home or come across leftover food that’s been neglected for too long, you may have encountered maggots. The squirmy, worm-like larvae can be unsettling, and you may wonder if they’re able to crawl up walls and spread further throughout your home.
If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer to your question: Maggots cannot crawl up walls under their own power. They lack legs and adhesive pads to grip onto vertical surfaces. However, adult flies can deposit maggot eggs on walls and ceilings, leading to the appearance of maggots in unexpected places.
Maggots Lack the Physical Ability to Crawl Up Walls
No Appendages or Gripping Structures
Maggots, the larval stage of flies, do not have appendages or other physical structures that would enable them to grip onto and climb up walls (University of Kentucky Entomology). They lack legs, claws, sticky pads, or any other anatomical features that would allow them to gain traction on vertical surfaces.
Instead, maggots have a soft, smooth body that is optimized for squirming and wriggling along a surface, not climbing up one. Their body shape and lack of gripping tools means they rely entirely on the surface they are on to support their weight.
On smooth vertical walls, they have nothing to grab onto that would prevent them from slipping down.
Limited Mobility
In addition to lacking physical gripping tools, maggots also have limited inherent mobility that prevents vertical climbing. According to entomology experts at the Pennsylvania State University, maggots can only crawl around on their own power within a few inches of where they hatch.
While they can move towards sources of food through contractions and short bursts of wriggling motions, they cannot actively travel longer distances. Their soft bodies and lack of strong muscles precludes climbing vertically for any sustained period.
At most, a maggot might wiggle upwards slightly along an irregular surface before falling back down.
So while flies themselves can land on and crawl across walls and ceilings, fly larva lacks both the gripping tools and self-directed mobility to climb vertical surfaces. Maggots ultimately rely on gravity, lack climbing adaptations, and have limited movement ranges – preventing them from crawling upwards.
Adult Flies Can Spread Maggots to Walls and Ceilings
Flies Lay Eggs on Various Surfaces
Flies are omnipresent pests that can enter homes and buildings through the tiniest cracks and crevices. Once inside, they will lay eggs on any available organic material they can find. This includes food waste, compost, feces, dead animals, etc.
Adult flies are very mobile and can easily fly up onto walls, ceilings, light fixtures, and other high surfaces in a room. Here, they will deposit batches of tiny white eggs stuck together in clusters called egg rafts.
A single female fly can lay hundreds of eggs during her lifetime. She doesn’t need to land to lay eggs and can do so while hovering in the air next to a surface. Some common fly species known to leave egg rafts on walls and ceilings include:
- House flies
- Cluster flies
- Bottle flies
- Flesh flies
These flies seek out corners, cracks, or textured areas to hide their eggs. The sticky eggs adhere tightly to rough surfaces, often going unnoticed. Fly egg rafts may contain between 75 to 150 eggs each. Within 8-20 hours of being laid, larvae hatch out and begin feeding.
Maggots Emerge in Hard-to-Reach Areas
After hatching, newly born maggots start crawling away from the egg mass in search of food. Their food sources include:
- Dead insects
- Grease and food residue
- Dust and grime
- Adhesive or paint
Maggots are tiny when first hatched, less than 1/10 inch (2 mm) long. Their bodies taper to a point at the head. Within 3-4 days of hatching, maggots reach 1/3 inch (8 mm) long. At their largest size, some species may reach 1/2 inch (12 mm).
Maggots can crawl surprisingly far, up to 10 feet (3 m) or more from where they hatched. They follow cracks, crevices, and any available routes leading away from light sources. This allows them to infiltrate deep into hidden voids inside of walls and ceilings.
Here, maggots can avoid predators and find shelter while they feed and grow. They are small enough to maneuver through electrical outlets, light switch plates, and under door trim.
Maggots prefer warm, humid environments. Crawl spaces, attics, and false ceilings provide ideal habitat. In addition to homes, other structures maggots may infest include:
- Schools
- Hospitals
- Restaurants
- Grocery stores
- Warehouses
Any building that has a fly problem is at risk of maggot outbreaks in voids.
Within 3-5 days, maggots reach full size and transform into pupae. After another 3-4 days, adult flies emerge and start the cycle again. Just a small number of flies can eventually lead to large maggot populations if left unchecked.
Maggots May End Up on Walls Through Other Means
Carried by Other Insects
Although maggots themselves cannot crawl up walls due to their lack of legs or wings, they can still end up on vertical surfaces if carried there by other insects. Flies, beetles, ants, and cockroaches are known to transport maggots from one location to another, seeking out protected environments to serve as nesting sites.
According to a 2017 study, some ant species will carry fly larvae back to their nests as a protein-rich food source for their colonies. This behavior can result in maggots accumulating on vertical surfaces such as trees or walls where ant nests are located.
In addition, adult flies may deposit their eggs on walls near rotting food or waste accumulations. Once the eggs hatch, the legless maggots can remain stuck to the wall as they feed on and break down the organic matter.
A wall with spills, drips, or trash piles nearby can therefore end up covered in writhing maggot masses.
Falling Debris
Maggots may also end up on walls passively through falling infested debris. If the larvae are feeding on rotting matter that eventually dislodges from an elevated location, they can drop down onto walls alongside the waste material.
For example, accumulations of wet leaves or compost from gutters may slide off sloped rooftops after maggots have already infested the decaying organic substance.
Likewise, maggot-infested garbage falling from trash chutes or discarded household items jettisoned from apartment windows can carry hitchhiking larvae onto walls several stories up. While the maggots do not purposefully scale these vertical surfaces, they can still arrive there by accidental transport.
This phenomenon demonstrates how refuse, gravity, and maggot mobility can potentially combine to create an unsavory wall-crawling scenario.
Preventing and Managing Maggots
Eliminate Fly Food Sources
The key to preventing maggots is to eliminate food sources that attract flies. Flies lay eggs on decaying organic matter like spoiled food, pet waste, and garbage. Be diligent about promptly removing these fly magnets from your home and yard.
Take the trash out regularly, clean up after pets outdoors, and fix leaks or drips that allow decaying matter to accumulate.
Use Fly Paper and Traps
Using fly traps or fly paper is an effective tactic for managing fly populations and limiting the number of eggs they can lay. Traps lure flies in with bait and contain or kill them. Funnel-shaped traps catch flies entering but not exiting.
Fly paper uses sticky glue to immobilize flies that land on it. Strategically place several fly traps or paper strips around possible problem areas in your home. According to pest control websites, fly traps can capture thousands of flies in just a few weeks.
Clean Impacted Areas Thoroughly
If you do find maggots, promptly and thoroughly clean the area to eliminate food sources and prevent reinfestation. Use hot water, disinfectant products, and physical removal to eliminate traces of organic matter the flies could be attracted to.
Be sure to seal cracks and crevices so flies cannot access the area to lay more eggs. For difficult infestations, you may need to consult a professional pest control service.
Following these tips vigilantly guards against fly problems and makes your home less hospitable to maggots. A clean home environment coupled with strategic fly traps minimizes the likelihood of seeing those crawling larvae.
Websites Referenced:
https://www.terminix.com/blog/diy/how-to-get-rid-of-maggots/
https://www.familyhandyman.com/list/maggots-in-the-house/
Conclusion
In summary, maggots are incapable of crawling or gripping onto vertical surfaces under their own power. However, adult flies can spread maggot infestations by laying eggs on walls, ceilings, and other hard-to-reach areas.
Keeping your home clean, sealing up cracks, and using fly control measures can help prevent fly and maggot issues from developing in the first place. If you do find maggots present, be sure to eliminate any food sources and thoroughly sanitize affected areas to get rid of the problem.
