Eeeww, bugs in flour

[linder]

I bought a bag of bread flour and I found about 6 of those brown bugs in it, most were dead. Gross...unfortunately I discovered them after I made the bread! Is the flour still good to use (I threw out the bugs), should I pitch it, is it possible those bugs laid eggs??

[kwormann]

Just purely from the "stomach" angle, I would RETURN IT to the store! (if it was new)

[Mamasue]

If it was me, I wouldn't use it only because my brain would play mind tricks on me knowing that little creatures lived and breathed there. Ewwwwwww http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[sneezles]

Was it sitting in your pantry very long? If it was there more than a couple of days I would also check any other grain product that it was sitting by...those little buggers travel fast!

[emilycat]

What are they?

[sneezles]

Weevils!

[sneezles]

It should also be said that they are inherrant in flour...really old four! Which is why it is better to keep flour in the firdge or freezer if you don't use it quickly.

[LGBurns]

You can also keep flour in a plastic container (that's what I do and I've never had a weevil problem, or a cottle (sp?) moth problem, either). Plus, as you pour the flour into the plastic container you can check right away for bugs and take it back immediately if it got bugs in the store. I wouldn't use the flour. I have a vague memory that weevils and moths use the flour to lay their eggs in rather than eating it--am I crazy or is this true? Anyway, I'd get rid of the flour if for no other reason than I wouldn't want to risk spreading the bugs (or eating them). http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/eek.gif

[SandyM]

I just want to thank y'all for providing my brain the fodder needed to give me nightmares............. now all of my flour (and not just the lesser-used flour) shall be frozen)........ http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

http://www.insects.co.uk/images/thumbnails/ws2tn.jpg

[BlueMoose]

http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/eek.gifAre they really called weevils? I always just called them flour bugs. I always keep my flour in an airtight container in the fridge. I always do this with cornmeal and things like that because they get in there, too. I know they came in my last bag of cornmeal from the store, though. I hate them!

[beacooker]

This is going to really gross you guys out, but the 'baby' weevils are little white worm-like things that may be hard to see in the flour. So getting rid of the bigger weevils isn't enough, you probably have a bunch of little babies in there that you're not seeing. THROW THE FLOUR AWAY!! Of course, I don't think eating the weevils will do you any damage,its just disgusting to think about!

[Vanessa]

I would throw it out. I keep my flour in the refrigerator or now that my 2nd refrigerator died and space is limited i keep it in zip lock bags. I must say in some parts of USA seems you get more weevils. My SIL in VA Beach area had them and in her cabinets. There are some thinggs you can put in your cabinets to deter flour bugs etc. My mom lives near the ocean and due to very high temp gets them in flour, rice (yes!)She keeps flour in freezer and buys rice in smaller amounts.
Below some weevil info
"Both granary and rice weevils, often known as "snout weevils," penetrate and feed on the internal portions of whole grains during the larval (immature) stage, making early detection of infestations difficult. They are usually found in grain storage facilities or processing plants, infesting wheat, oats, rye, barley, rice, and corn. Although not often found in the home, sometimes they infest table beans, acorns, chestnuts, birdseed, sunflower seeds, and ornamental corn. They are rarely found in macaroni and spaghetti. Homeowners sometimes refer to infested foods as "weevilly." Granary and rice weevils do not bite or sting humans or pets, spread disease, or feed on or damage the house or furnitureThe simplest and most effective measure is to locate the source of infestation and quickly get rid of it. Use a flashlight or other light source to examine all food storage areas and food products carefully. If practical and regulations allow, dispose of heavily infested foods in wrapped, heavy plastic bags or in sealed containers for garbage removal, or bury deep in the soil. If you detect an infestation early, disposal alone may solve the problem.

Storage of grains for a month or more during the warm, summer months may lead to infestations. Purchase grains in small quantities for early use, and store in containers of insect-proof glass, heavy plastic, or metal with screw-type, airtight lids. For longer storage, refrigerate or deep freeze.

[emilycat]

This is sooooo grody. I keep all of my in-use flour/cornmeal in the freezer, but I have an unopened bag in the pantry that will be inspected as soon as I get home today. Yuck.

[Wendy w]

http://www.harrythecat.com/graphics/k/roach1.gif

Disgusting conversation. This may be a good thread to print out and force myself to read when I have the urge for "leisure" or "extracuricular" eating.

[clairea]

I would check all your dry goods (pasta, cereal, etc.), not just flours and grains. I recently came home after being away for 10 days, and pantry (cottle?) moths were apparently in something I had bought just before leaving -- by the time I got home they were in almost everything! I even found larvae on the tops of cans, inside lids of spice jars, etc. I'm not sure if weevils do the same thing, but I would certainly look carefully just in case.

Someone told me that you can just freeze the infested flour for a month to kill the bugs, then sift it to get all the bugs out and still use the flour -- eeeeeeeewwwwwwwwww!

On the bright side, I had a good excuse to run out and buy a lot of things I have read about on this board -- spices from Penzey's, flour from King Arthur, etc. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

[Gail]

Sure you can keep it.


...but you have seen "Alien," haven't you? http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif

Mmmm, and let's not forget that wonderful snake-and-bug chow in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom..."

[This message has been edited by Gail (edited 05-16-2001).]

[chefbec]

Although this is gross, I've often found bugs in certain flours I buy at the health food store and I also have seen them in my basmati rice. I usually just pull them out. Doesn't heat kill them if I can't see them in there? Hey, extra protein... http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif

[ewatkins]

My mom (in Phila.) gets these all the time but they are more like moths(fly around), and you can buy traps to put in the cupboard.

[ashley]

I once found weevils in a container of ground red pepper - how they could live in that I'll never know. There is a disgusting (but also funny) story to how I discovered them. I was making a marinade for some steak and I didn't find them until everything was already mixed up and in the plastic bag, including the meat. I was up at my parents' farm with no alternate dinner plan available so we couldn't throw it out. All I could do was pick them off the meat before I grilled it, and try to not think about it while we were eating! Yuck - I still cringe when I think about it.

[Curleytop]

Years ago I had those "little addatives" in my flour. What I do now, before I put the unopened flour in the cabinet, I put the whole unopened package into a plastic bag.
After I open it, I dump the 5 lbs into a #9
round Rubbermade container. I keep all my staples that way, whole wheat, pastry, unbleached flour, bread flour, sugars etc. I have a big pull-out drawer under the mixer/foodprocessor garage. I bake a lot and this works fine for me.

[Beth]

I mentioned this on the moth thread, but once you have a problem, you do have to get rid of the larvae to keep it from spreading and getting worse. Be sure to look under the egdes of lids and in little crevices, especially with the moths.

[sherri]

Keep the flour in the freezer to avoid future bugs, it works for me!

[Jewel]

I had a severe weevil/bug problem in January, and we traced it to one bag of wild rice/brown rice blend purchased in bulk at a natural foods co-op. Picked up that one bag to find the entire bag was moving! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/eek.gif Those little buggers spread to every grain, bean, flour, pasta, meal bag I owned. They even bored themselves into those really stiff cellophane noodle bags! We put all of our flour/sugar/cornmeal and rice into airtight containers with pourspouts, and I bought 3 of those portable 'drawers' that you can put in cabinets to keep 'like' items in. I have one drawer that is nothing but pasta, one drawer that is nothing but breads and grains. Keeps things organized, and its much easier to pull that drawer open and see what I'm low on, than rummaging through cupboards! ( I have no separate pantry). The little guys also can't get into the plastic drawers as easily.

I didn't even consider keeping any grain product that I saw them near! It was easier on my stress level just to replace the items. I'm also not buying bulk rice blends anymore! Almost impossible to rinse them and put them back into the bag, and I've heard from others that because they're 'natural' the crawlies probably came home in the bag with the rice. ICK!

[Ralph]

On the pantry moth thread (http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/Forum1/HTML/007437.html), I posted a copy of an article that just appeared today in my local paper on pantry insects. Try that link or link directly to the paper's web site: http://www.copleynewspapers.com/sunpub/naper/city/foodbugs0518.htm

[slknight]

I know I'm resurrecting a pretty old thread, but it's now happened to me: I was on the last step of the one bowl pineapple cake when I found bugs in my flour. They are the little weevils. I had the flour in a plastic Tupperware container, but unfortunately it wasn't sealed right. I had another unopened bag of flour that I used to finish the cake.

Now I've been reading how easily these can spread. So I'm wondering what I should toss from my pantry. The other things on that same shelf (wheat flour, wheat bran, oatmeal, chocolate chips, etc)? Most of this stuff is well-sealed in Tupperware, but you never know. Also, should I toss the pasta, rice, cereal, and other grains that are on different shelves? Please advise! I am completely grossed out.

Thanks,
Susan

[Curleytop]

I would return the flour to the grocery store, and get a new bag of flour, or a refund. If you get a refund, go to a different chain grocery store. Sometimes the bugs are in the whole batch of flour. I think the little eggs are in the flour itself and they hatch.
Actually, gross as it is, they can't hurt you:rolleyes: