Martian

So when I went shopping last (about a week and a half ago) potatoes were on sale and I bought three, figuring I could do them up in the microwave and have quick and easy baked potatoes. I threw them in one of the bottom drawers in my kitchen, next to the vegetable oil and a box of ramen and promptly forgot about them.

Until about fifteen minutes ago, anyway. I decided that a package of ramen would make for a tasty late night snack, so I opened the drawer and thought I saw movement. I looked again and there was this little maggot squirming away from the light. Upon closer inspection I discovered that the vegetable oil had leaked (which would've been the initial attraction I reckon) and that someone had beaten me to my potatoes. A lot of someones. A lot of disgusting, squirmy someones.

Needless to say, I promptly pulled the drawer out, dumped all the contents in the trash and sprayed it down with the strongest chemical I could find in the hopes of killing the little buggers. I then donned the rubber gloves, grabbed a roll of paper towels and began scrubbing. The drawer appears to be clean now and is empty. I don't think I'll be putting anything in there for the time being.

The worst part of it all is that I've known that I'd find something like that. I've had fruit flies in my kitchen for the past few days and I keep it clean. I don't leave food out and I do my dishes nightly, so I knew that they'd found a food source somewhere and that sooner or later I was going to find the nest. That doesn't make it any less disgusting though. I think it goes without saying that I lost my appetite completely and I won't be able to go to bed now without worrying about one of the little suckers having somehow managed to get under my glove and be crawling on me.. gah!

I don't know if this is the right forum for this, but it seemed appropriate. Mods, feel free to move as necessary.

__________________
I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept
I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept
I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head
I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said

- Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame

El Pollo

Ewww...
Maggots are just... ewww...
Your story reminds me of my chewy granola bar experience. I opened the sealed wrapper to find the bar infested with bugs. I'm glad I actually looked before I bit into the thing. And this happened to me on two different occassions from two different boxes. I still buy the damn things, though. They're delicious.

Martian

Inside the sealed wrapper? I'm suddenly glad I don't eat granola bars..

And yeah, it was pretty bad. I don't spook easily, but there are some things that just get me. I'm cool with spiders, I have no problem with ants.. but maggots are bad for me and leeches are too. Disgusting crawly slimy.. I'm still getting shivers.

The worst of it is, I never thought I'd have any maggot issues. I'm not a neat freak by any means but I'm hardly a slob either. I don't leave things out because I don't want infestations. And yet..

I'm still puzzling as to how they got into the bag of potatoes, as it was one of those plastic grocery store produce bags and I'd tied it off pretty tightly.

Gah.. my night is officially ruined. Or morning, really. I don't sleep well to begin with and now I'm just done.

__________________
I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept
I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept
I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head
I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said

- Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame

cyrnel

They're just nature's way of saying... "braaaaiiins!"


Blech.

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There are a vast number of people who are uninformed and heavily propagandized, but fundamentally decent. The propaganda that inundates them is effective when unchallenged, but much of it goes only skin deep. If they can be brought to raise questions and apply their decent instincts and basic intelligence, many people quickly escape the confines of the doctrinal system and are willing to do something to help others who are really suffering and oppressed." -Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media, p. 195

Daoust

I've had a serious outbreak of maggots in my compost bin (outside, thankfully) but it's frigging gross. Everytime I open the lid I see the millions of squirmy worms and it's just sickening. Add to that that I missed the last compost pick up day and you can imagine how many maggots are in my bin. A whole army!

So a question. I've had bazillions of fruit flies in my house lately. Does that mean that I could have maggots inside somewhere too???

Oh I hope not. We've been trying to throw out our compost and waste really quickly so as to not allow time for fruit flies to breed, but it seems they're beating us.
Help.

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I have faith in a few things - divinity and grace
But even when I'm on my knees I know the devil preys

Charlatan

We've had fruit flies as well... I found a rotting peach in the bottom of the fruit bowl...

__________________
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- Old Man Luedecke

JustJess

In college, I threw out some old cold cuts, but forgot to take the garbage out that day. A couple days later, I came home from school or whatever to find those little white wormy things all over my kitchen floor - light colored floor, too.
BLECH UGH YUCK GROSS.
It took forever to feel that it was clean enough.

Fruit flies are just that - fruit flies. That would indicate something with lots of natural sugar rotting somewhere. Maggots are unrelated - those are larvae of regular flies, the kind that buzz garbage and dog poo. Mmm, dog poo.

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My heart knows me better than I know myself, so I'm gonna let it do all the talkin'.

Meditrina

The first thing I think of when you say maggots is The Lost Boys. *shudders* at the thought of them.

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"Toughness is in the soul and spirit, not in muscles." ~Alex Karras

denim

Fruit flies imply fruit fly larva, yes. I keep food inside sealed plastic Rubbermaid containers, in the fridge, or in sealed cans. Period. Having lived in a warm climate for a while (Dallas), I know how this works. I get fruit or whatever flies occasionally, but I run the garbage disposal and empty the kitchen trash can, and they go away.

As Ambassador Londo Molari said, when he destroyed a small beetle-like critter, "You're not so big. You're pretty small. (pause) There are more of you. THERE ARE MORE OF YOU!!!!"

Charlatan

This thread is making me shudder uncontrollably... (yeagh)

__________________
"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke

Siege

Hmm. I had a problem with fruit flies for a while too. No idea why. But for some reason, they stopped showing up recently.

Maybe it's all the baby spiders catching their meals. Which could potentially be worse. Uh-oh..

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--Kevin Smith

This part just makes my posts easier to find

-Ever-

I...hate...worms (and anything that resembles them)

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--Acknowledge your weaknesses--