Have you ever measured your flour out to make cookies, only to realize that there were little black things crawling around? Weevils can certainly put a damper on your cooking mood. Don’t worry. Here’s how to take care of the bugs in your flour and keep them from coming back.
Get Rid of Weevils Already in the Home
The very first thing you should do is throw out the food that has already been contaminated with bugs. Go through all of your opened bags of flour, cornmeal, rice, sugar, oatmeal, and any other staples you have stored. If you see bugs, throw it out.
Gather everything into a large garbage bag, and take it out of the house as soon as you are finished. You want the bugs out so you don’t risk them showing up in more food in a few days.
Kitchen Cleaning
Once your remaining food has been declared bug free, it’s time to clean. Wipe out and disinfectant every surface where you store food. If you have a lot of loose crumbs in the bottom of your cupboards, a vacuum hose may help you to clean quickly. You can also vacuum out the cracks along the sides of your cupboard. This process will take some time, but remember you are doing it to avoid re-infestation.
Properly Storing New Food
Food that remains open in bags is prone to get weevils. Prevent this from happening by storing your staples in containers with tight fitting lids. As you purchase new items for your pantry, use either heat or cold to kill any bugs that could be inside.
Heat Method
Spread your food in a thin layer on a cookie sheet, and leave in the oven at 120°F for one hour. The microwave can also be used, just cook for five minutes. Keep in mind that this method is not good for fine-grained staples like flour, as spontaneous combustion can occur.
Cold Method
When you buy a new bag of flour or a different staple, place the entire thing in the freezer. You can either store it here permanently, or if freezer space is at a premium, keep it there for four days before placing it back in your pantry.
To keep bugs in flour away, wipe up kitchen spells immediately. Keep your cupboards clean, and your food in tight-fitting lids.
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