How to get rid of flour weevils 11-24-04

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Dear Reader,

How to get rid of flour weevils. Readers' respond:

FREEZE 'EM

"Dear Suzanne--Your best bet for bug proofing cereals, grains and grain products is to bag them tightly and keep then in a freezer until ready for use...Freezing works.--Don N."

"You probably don't want to hear this, but it's my understanding that those little guys in your pantry don't 'hitchike their way in'; they are already there when we buy the products at the store.
I've started keeping cornmeal, flour etc. in the freezer."

SMOKE 'EM OUT BUT DON'T BOTHER NUKING 'EM

"Dear Suzanne--Do you know how to keep those pesky weevils out of your flour or wheat products? Something I learned years ago from my Grandmother (who just turned 99 this year). Place a pack of matches in the container that has your flour in it. Lay the book right on top of the flour. The little critters do not like the sulfur. I have been weevil free for at least 30 years. Thanks--Tina"

"Dear Suzanne--I had been finding little bugs on the kitchen counter and also discovered them in cereal. Then, guess what? I took something out of the microwave and on the floor of the oven was one of those bugs. His coloring was quite a bit darker than all of his cousins, and by [golly] he was walking! Guess nuking them won't even help!"--Belle

NAIL 'EM

"Dear Suzanne--I have a really old fashioned solution to your 'mealy bugs' problem, one that was handed down to me by my mother, via her mother, a long time ago (I am 72, so I learned about this about 50 yrs ago). Go to your local hardware store and buy some brand new nails, (yeah, yeah, I know they don't sell any other kind but this is to discourage you from using any old nails you might have on hand). Place about 6-8 nails in your flour canister, same in the bran flakes (warn your husband NOT to eat them), and the little bus stay away! How's that for ruining your appetite?"--Betty M.

TOSS OUT WHATEVER THEY TOUCH

"Suzanne - your take on the bug batter was just too funny. We have a bug problem in CA too. They especially love birdseed - so we microwave it for a few minutes before putting it an airtight container to store for our pets. One time we were microwaving some brand new seed and a ton of little bugs came running out of the seed, all over the container, and up the walls of the microwave. It was a little bug holocaust - absolutely disgusting!
If only I could have tossed out the microwave at that time...--Mindy M."

LIVE WITH 'EM

"Many, many years ago my grandparents moved from Nebraska to Florida and found a number of new things to get accustomed to. After their acclimatization, my grandfather started telling us how one could assess the length of time folks had lived in Florida --

From 1 to 2 years, when ants were found in the sugar, they threw the sugar away.
From 3 to 4 years, when ants were found in the sugar, they strained out the ants and used the sugar.
From 5 years on, the ants had to look out for themselves.--Judith H."

EAT 'EM ANYWAY!

"Dear Suzanne--I couldn't help laughing when I read your Dear Reader today! It reminded me of a story my English professor told 20 years ago. She was making Hungarian Goulash for a dinner party she was having for several professors and the head of the English Department. As she lifted the lid to check the stew, a gigantic roach slipped off the range hood and fell into the pot. She fished out as much of it as she could but wasn't able to find all the pieces (legs, antennae, etc). So she put the lid back on, let it finish cooking and served it for dinner. She said she figured whatever was left in there was cooked anyway! To this day I have trouble eating any stew that I haven't cooked (myself)!--Christi"

"Suzanne--Your "Dear Reader" column today made me laugh as I remembered childhood visits to my grandmother in Titusville, Florida. One day, she made me Kraft macaroni and cheese--a particular favorite of mine. As I chewed the first mouthful of cheesy goodness, my teeth crunched on something I wasn't expecting. I shrugged it off, assuming it was just an underdone piece of pasta. My next bite yielded similar results, so I looked a little closer at the contents of my bowl.
'Grandma, there are bugs in the mac and cheese!' I exclaimed with horror, expecting her to quickly snatch my bowl away and maybe take me to get some more palatable lunch at a fast food restaurant. 'Oh those are just weevils,' she replied. 'They won't hurt you, they're extra protein.' When I protested further, all I got in response was one of my grandma's favorite responses to wasteful behavior: 'Children in China are starving and would kill to have that food.' I think at the time I would gladly have given it to them but I finished my lunch, and as you can see I lived to tell the tale."

JUST LAUGH AT 'EM

"I hope your husband appreciates that you chose the lesser of two weevils. :)"

"Two weevils eventually made it to safety. Sadly, one of them eventually died...obviously the lesser of the two weevils.(Sorry -
couldn't resist!)Keep those funny e-mails coming. We love to read with friends like you.--Nancy M., Olive Branch, MS"

IGNORE THE BUGS AND SHARE THE RECIPE

"Suzanne--I loved your Dear Reader tale today about the bugs. I was laughing as you described the bug exodus out of the batter -
especially picturing them in their swim goggles. As a fellow baker, I feel your frustration at having everything in the bowl, anticipating the finished product, only to discover you have to dump it out and start over.

What kind of muffins were you making?? Are you going to share the recipe? Thanks for the laughter--Kathy" (the recipe is at the end of this blog entry)

TRUE CONFESSIONS OF THE BUGGED

"I have a confession story, one I've never told another soul. Years ago, when my son who's now 37, was in grammar school, I discovered, to my dismay, tiny bugs in the cooked cereal I had fixed for his breakfast. The pantry was bare, and we were just barely on schedule for school. I made a quick decision to extricate the little fellows from the bowl, which I painstakingly did--and after adding some sugar and milk, served my son his breakfast. Being late for school wasn't good, and didn't little boys routinely eat some shady stuff? Still, I've been plagued with guilt over this incident for at least 30 years. What do you think?"

"Your column today about the weevils almost left me in hysterics! I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. I too have had a similar problem with weevils in grits (you keep hoping those little black dots are just irregularities in the hominy but suddenly see the formation of legs as they are boiled alive). There is that instant where I found myself actually considering the protein content of a weevil vs. the horror of feeding my family insects. It quickly passed and I soon was pouring the whole mess into the sink and deciding on pancakes instead. But, to my chagrin, I opened the Bisquick package and found a similar infestation. I embarrassingly admit to a momentary hesitation with a sifter in my right hand and 2
1/2 cups of Bisquick in my left hand - do I or not? To sum up, we had toast and eggs that Saturday morning.-- Ellen C., Collierville, TN"

Dolly Madison Muffins

Mix together in large bowl:

4 eggs, beaten
2-1/2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 T. (tablespoon) cinnamon
5 teaspoons baking soda

Add these two ingredients alternately:
5 cups flour
1 quart buttermilk

6 cups raisin bran cereal--(the cheapest works great)

Mix all ingredients together. Let batter stand in refrigerator at least 24 hours before baking. Bake 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Batter keeps four weeks in the refrigerator. Make some fresh every morning.
Batch makes 4-5 dozen muffins.

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
www.DearReader.com

Click here to read Suzanne's column about flour weevils.

Comments

[Ron]

Not only are you funny but so are some of your readers too.I have a million 'Bugs in the grits' stories But enjoyed yours and the reader's better. thanks for giving me the
chance to read with you, it's fun. Ron in Sunny Italy

[SIS KOVAR]

another thing that seems to work for me is to lay a stick of spearmint gum on the counter in different places. It does attract the criters so you can kill them.

[Rebecca]

Susanne,

I lived in Florida for seven years. After trying to combat the insects with all manner and pestisides and sprays I finally gave up after the ants ate their way throught the plastic to get to my roman noodles. After that I put all manner of carbohydrate in the fridge. This includes flour, sugar anything that might seem tasty. This kept my food safe but now that I've moved back to the midwest I get weird looks whenever people open my fridge.
Thanks for sharing.

[Wendy]

My husband and I have experienced the itty-bitty grits monsters on three occasions... all three times we bought grits. The most recent encounter also involved a rather large larval stage of bug that may or may not have been related to the wheevils. It was white and wormy and almost a quarter of an inch long. The grits were congealing among silken strands which we assumed were from the larval worms. I can handle the occasional grits bug, but a worm the same color of the grits is more than I care to endure during breakfast. There's no hope of noticing them once the grits are cooked.

[Charles Haney]

I looked up your website to learn about the evil weevil, that lurks in the pantry. One
lady told me to sprinkle bay leaves in my cabinet, everybody wants to have weevil popsicles. Just freeze your flour or meal. I don't have that much room, in the small freezer on the top of my refrigerator. If I
store my flour or meal in air proof containers, will this work?

[sharna]

how will i get rid of them i found them in my room. i know u can get hese bobm thing for the house and they kill them all and the hole house will be clear but is there a nothing to do wail i wait for them to come and do it thank you

[gloria salsman]

I, need help getting rid of the weevil's-i've cleaned out my cabinet's,and got rid of the boxe's they were in but i'm still fineing them..i need help... I have notice they have a smell to them.. thank you for any help... G in ok.

[Sylvia]

My flour, corn meal, etc., are all in tight containers and bug free. I found the source of my bugs in a box of doggie treats and some whole wheat flour. I cleaned out the cabinets and vacuumed them, but they're still there! Every morning there are dead bugs on the stove and on the floor and during the day they fly around all over the place. I HATE THEM! I read all of your reader's comments, and no one seems to know how to get rid of them. Is this a lost cause?

[Cynthia Serbent]

In the Hardware store there are Pantry PestTraps. They work great. Safer is the company, They are a triangle fold with a sticky substance that attracts the nuisances that come in flour products. Good luck Gloria

[Cynthia Serbent]

In the Hardware store there are Pantry Pest Traps. They work great. Safer is the company. They are a triangle fold with a stickyn substance that attracts the nuisances that come in flour products. Good luck Gloria. Signed Cynthia

[Margaret]

We live on the east coast of South Africa and have the same type of climate as Florida, USA. Weevils are part of life here and I put the bag of flour, pasta, cereals etc in another bag (ie double bag it) with a couple of dry bay leaves. Don't use fresh leaves as they are too strongly scented and will not only go mouldy in the closed bag, but will pass their flavour onto the product they are close to. Break the stems off the leaves as they will puncture the outer bag, broken leaves can also be sharp and damage the outer bag.

[Margaret]

We live on the east coast of South Africa and have the same type of climate as Florida, USA. Weevils are part of life here and I put the bag of flour, pasta, cereals etc in another bag (ie double bag it) with a couple of dry bay leaves. Don't use fresh leaves as they are too strongly scented and will not only go mouldy in the closed bag, but will pass their flavour onto the product they are close to. Break the stems off the leaves as they will puncture the outer bag, broken leaves can also be sharp and damage the outer bag.

[sam hambling]

i bought some bird seed only to find months later it was running alive with weezils i got rid of the bird seeds but still keep seeing the weesils where else can they live. anyone know please help

[Sharon]

Thank you all so very much for your tips. I`m trying the bay leaves and matches as we speak.

[william tomlinson]

many thanks for all the info i will try the matches and bay leaf they shure are a problem i did not know they could fly william

[Maria Lee]

These comments are very funny. I guess most of us have this problems with bugs in our flour and cereal. What I do is I just make the meal anyway and pretend I didnt see any bugs in there. Then I serve it to my husband (he scarfs down his food so he'll never know the difference anyway). Meantime, I help myself to some fruit. This way I'm healthy, my husband is full, and everyone walks away happy.

[diane navarrete]

i just spotted this little critters in my sugar last week, I sifted the sugar even though i think i'm gonna end up throwing it away...i am putting all my cereals,sugar and flour in the freezer or fridge from now on...hate those weezils..........

[Karen]

After finding some weevil larvae cases on top of the cannister of rice in an upper cabinet, I've been the scourge of weevils in my kitchen. Here's an amusing story--each day in the morning, or when I get home from work, the first thing I do is check the kitchen. I've been dousing the countertop with orange cleaner weekly, and keeping everything off of it...on the wall near the stove, I have 2 potholders hanging on a hook, about a foot off of the counter. Invariably, while I won't see any weevils on the counter, if I lift one of the pads, there will be a pair on the hotpads! This has happened day after day, and once I found them--one on top of the other--and oddly, with a third standing by (kinky?) Those little critters have managed to find a mattress, and they must have told each other because needless to say, I obliterate those I find. THEY don't live to tell the tale. I've tried eucalyptus in the drawers, and don't find them there now. I tried the triangular traps and they haven't worked for me--perhaps what I bought were old.

[Ny Brown]

I have had a similar problem with those things (I am seriously scared of bugs!) My husband and I came back from our honeymoon in 2002 to find them all over the apartment. I screamed and had a fit for days! The little buggies came from a bag of blackeyed peas and it was very hot that summer. Ever since then, it takes me at least two minutes to buy a bag of dry beans and I do not keep them around the house, I buy them when I know that I'm going to cook them.

[Helen Saltiel]

Hello everyone.
We live in Wales U.K. on a smallholding. We have a real problem with these weevils, they are driving me crazy !!!I am going to try the matches and the bay leaves and will keep you posted on the results. They dont sell these insect traps here and I was begining to wonder if any one else in G.B suffers the same problem ??? H E L P !!!!

[Bonnie]

Hi, I've been reading all the stories about weevils. I too am plagued with them. So much so that I refinished my kitchen, at great expense especially due to the fact that we only rent. Now I come to find them again. Is it possible they live in the walls? I find they not only like flour which I always keep in the fridge, but also any grain. Even spagetti, especially whole wheat. I always make sure I look in the box before I cook it because they hide in the bottom of the box. Last night I found one in a pot, which is no where near my grains, so I know I'm loaded again. I'm willing to try anything that is not chemical. Please help.

[Elaine]

Oh God, thanks for this site!! I've been wondering why I had little bits floating on my freshly made tea lately, and saw weevils in my sugar. I've fumigated my cupboards and thrown loads of stuff away, now I'm sat here stinking of bleach and itching all over (doesn't take much to make me obsessive) - My son just laughed and told me to take my glasses off when making the tea next time. Can anyone tell me - can they make you if you accidentally eat them with your food?

[Lisa]

What great anecdotes! Summer is approaching here in Australia and this morning I found the critters flying in our walk-in pantry! I'm in the process of throwing out ALL the dry stuff. Am going to see if the local hardware store has one of those bug traps! If only we had room in the freezer for the flour etc...Maybe we should give the matches a try!
Lisa

[Linda H. of Virginia]

I use dried bay leaves and it works... it was a tip from my mother that she learned from hers... And I know it may sound gross but if there are only a few of the little guys in my food, I pick them out and eat it anyway. I've also been told they are harmless and are full of protein. I do keep what I can in the fridge and freezer... that helps... One trick my mom told me is, because they come in with what ever you buy, first, make sure you thoroughly clean out your cabinets, then automatically put what you have recently purchased in the freezer for a week (to kill any new larvea) and then transfer it to your canisters in your cabinet... this way you keep foriegn critters out of your cabinets. It works for me and I was heavily infested to begin with.

[Jay - London UK]

I have recently found white worms on my kitchen celing and i'm desperate to get rid of the problem. This site has been really useful, other than clearing and cleaning out my cupboards, is there anything else i can do to get rid of the problem. i usually love to cook, but now i find myself reluctant to go into the kitchen....HELP!