Getting Rid Of Old Maggots

[RUDD]

I put them through a riddle and give them a good clean before putting them in a plastic bag with a few drops of flavouring.

Then I freeze them.

 

Castors need to be put in a cut down 2 litre fizzy drinks bottle and frozen in water.

[DavyR]

The latest issue of IYCF tells you how to "stun" maggots by vigorously rubbing them between your palms for 10-15 seconds! "Some will be dead, and the others will be stunned for several hours". Sounds like a good trick if you decide you want to use dead maggots but haven't frozen any in advance.

[GlennB]

I keep an old blender these days for old baits. Any old fish, worms, maggots, groundbait...whatever....it goes into the blender to be used as an additive for groundmixes.

 

Bleeuurrrgh. Just what you want to read straight after breakfast

[jason.p]

I put them through a riddle and give them a good clean before putting them in a plastic bag with a few drops of flavouring.

Then I freeze them.

What flavourings would you recommend, particularly for winter still-water fishing?

[Leon Roskilly]

i always feed em to the birds, never knew it was dodgy. if we can feed them to fish why not birds leon?

 

 

Maggots raised in maggot farms often contain the bacteria that causes Avian Botulism

 

 

"Outbreaks of avian botulism occur when the toxin is taken in by birds. The die-off may begin as birds feed directly on invertebrate carcasses that contain the toxin, or as a result of feeding on live maggots of flesh-flies and blowflies. Consumption of just two to five toxinbearing maggots is often enough to kill a duck!

 

See: http://www.lmconsult.com/pvaudubon/hummin-v24_4.html#index7

 

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/discussion/R...oultryHealthNew

 

 

Tight Lines - leon

Edited November 15, 2005 by Leon Roskilly

[Guest Brumagem Phil]

Whilst i'm sure you are right leon, in practice I reckon few birds actually die from eating contaminated maggots. I and many others feed the robins on maggots during the spring at our local pool, and plenty of anglers leave maggots on the pegs for the wagtails, robins, tits etc to eat.....

 

Given all the other dangers nature throws in the way of small birds, i'd suggest the benefits most gain from the extra food outweights the small risk to the odd one.........that is nature after all.

[argyll]

'Consumption of just two to five toxinbearing maggots is often enough to kill a duck!'

 

Can someone tell me how many I need for about 50 canada geese

[DavyR]

Fair point, Phil - but how would you know if the birds you were feeding *were* dying? How often do you see dead birds other than those on the roads (and they're often being picked at by crows and magpies)? I reckon that birds that die of whatever cause must be "cleaned up" pretty quickly by scavengers.

 

I've certainly seen sick and dying seagulls and have been told by people whose bird knowledge I respect that they're suffering from botulism (picked up from landfill sites rather than anglers' baits).

[Guest Brumagem Phil]

DavyR, you are right, I don't know for sure. All I can say is the same robins come back day after day given a certain peg is fished. The other "evidence" is that the bird population on the whole is thriving around the pool (as is often the case around fishing pools).

 

I'm sure a few do die, but then thats just nature..........if we didnt feed the birds then how many would starve to death? Damned if you do and damned if you dont.

 

Maybe we should complain to our local councils that maggot recycling bins are not provided with the other recycling containers at our local supermarkets ;-)

[The Flying Tench]

Accepting there are different views on the safety of feeding the birds, what are the other options if your wife is not keen on them going in the fridge or freezer? Presumably if you just put them in a polybag in the dustbin they'll probably die in th is cold weather? Otherwise, no-one's answered the point about killing casters by drowning. I don't think it works killing maggots this way, but someone told me that when you're fishing with casters (which I only do occasionally) you should immerse them because that kills them and stops them darkening. In other words it kills them quickly. So isn't that a fairly easy answer?