Umm I just went to make some pastry and found weevils in my flour????
By gemini_rose
@gemini_rose (16264)
September 21, 2008 5:49am CST
I thought that this weekend I would teach my 8 year old son to make shortcrust pastry so that we could make some jam tarts. He has a real keeness to learn to cook and I want to encourage him as he does not seem to have any interest in anything else!
We got all the ingredients out and I set about to help him weigh out the flour, he was spooning it into the scales when I noticed something brown in the flour. I told him to hang on a minute and I had a closer look, only to see that it moved, wtf! Then I noticed a few more moving brown flecks, oh my goodness, flour weevils.
So making jam tarts was off the menu for today. But what I want to know is where have these come from, because I have just CLEANED the cupboard out because I was pretty horrified by my discovery, and there was nothing in there, and the flour is not old so where have they come from? Does anyone know?
What is the worst thing you have ever found in any food product?
6 people like this
17 responses
@deebomb (15304)
• United States
21 Sep 08
I hate to tell you this but the eggs for those little weevils are already in the flour when it is ground. There is no way for them to be kept out of the flour. You can keep them from hatching by freezing your flour for a few days before putting it on the shelf. You can also keep bay leave on the shelf and in the flour that is supposed to help keep the weevils out of the cupboard. But I have found that freezing all those products the best way to control the bugs
1 person likes this
@gemini_rose (16264)
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21 Sep 08
Your kidding?!! No way, I did not know this, that is why I could not find them in my cupboard. Thanks for your suggestions though I will follow them. So technically we are eating bug eggs then, yuk.
1 person likes this
@deebomb (15304)
• United States
21 Sep 08
I think we eat bugs of some sort no matter how careful we are. but you don't have to keep the flour or other grain products in the freezer or the fridge. Just freeze them for about 3 or 4 days and that should kill the bugs then you can put them back on the shelf.
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
21 Sep 08
I hate to say this but even if flour or any starchy product (that would include rice, pasta, even sugar) isn't old you may be "attacked" by "critters"....What people don't realize is that the eggs of weevils are in all these products, whether the item is new or has been kept for sometime....which means of course that...gasps...those weevil eggs are in our products all the time...gross no? The only way to somehow combat the eggs from "hatching" and infesting our flour, etc. is to keep it refrigerated.. that's what I've been doing all these years. The coldness of the fridge keeps the eggs from hatching..uh, but that means we still might be eating them...gross no?
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
21 Sep 08
I answered this from my email..I see you got the same advice and ideas....still gross no? To think we're eating bug eggs in our products...oh, well, extra protein..LOL
@gemini_rose (16264)
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21 Sep 08
Hey I dont mind getting similar responses! It is gross, really gross, I did not know that this happened and I will be keeping my flour in the fridge/freezer from now on. Well when I go and buy some more!
1 person likes this
@Chastised_Dreamz (559)
• United States
21 Sep 08
Ahhh this is so gross lol. I never knew the eggs were already in there. I always thought that they somehow got in there and that's how they are hatched. I have to tell my mom this when she comes home lol. I want to see her reaction. She's pretty skeptical about things so she's either not going to believe it, OR she'll just laugh about it and agree by saying something along the lines of "more protein" lol
1 person likes this
@ronaldinu (12422)
• Malta
21 Sep 08
It not uncommon to find ants in the flour or sugar bags especially in summer. Summer means an invasion of ants so we have to disinfect our house before it starts to avoid these tiny insects from invading our house.
@Ravenladyj (22902)
• United States
21 Sep 08
UGH we had a serious ant invasion this yr at our place for some reason....it was SO annoying and I dont know what was different about this yr compared to the others but it was bad..
@gemini_rose (16264)
•
21 Sep 08
Luckily we have not had the ant invasion this year, probably because of the wet summer we had.
@sid556 (30959)
• United States
22 Sep 08
Flour, pasta etc will get what are called mealy worms if they are on the shelf too long or exposed to damp, humid conditions. When I get flour, I usually keep it in an air tight jar and that seems to help a lot. I will not buy pasta, flour or cereal in a convenience store as they are not fast moving items in those stores and I've had bad experiences.
@gemini_rose (16264)
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22 Sep 08
Mealy worms, you mean I have to look out for worms too, oh this is just too much. I am going to empty my cupboard out now I think.
@cinderella2007 (2662)
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21 Sep 08
I wouldn't know what a weevil looked like!!! I'm not one for cooking much and wouldn't know where to look for such creatures!!
Its a shame that you couldn't make jam tarts, I bet your son was really looking forward to them!!
As for where they came from, maybe when you cleaned you cupboard you disturbed them from where they were hiding and ran into your flour!!???
@gemini_rose (16264)
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21 Sep 08
These were very little and brown, bit like just a fleck of dirt with legs. Apparently, the eggs are already in the flour and so they hatch when in room temp in whatever product with flour they are in, and I have been told they are in flour and pasta and sugar, so I am going to be watching my food very closely.
@cinderella2007 (2662)
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21 Sep 08
Ive been researching about these little critters and Ive found that on one site one person has suggested keeping a box of matches in with the flour as apparently they don't like the smell of sulphur. it could just be a old wives tale but it worked for them!!
Im gonna have to check my flour now, Ive not used it for a while!!
@sudalunts (5523)
• United States
21 Sep 08
I too, have found these little critters in my flour before. I thought the flour was old, but still wondered even so, how would bugs develope. I then read on Mylot, where responders were saying that the bugs were already in the flour when it was bought, but the eggs had not yet hatched. I now store my flour in the refrigerator, and have had no more sightings.
I even found them in an open box of macaroni before too, so I guess they make their homes in any flour based product.
1 person likes this
@gemini_rose (16264)
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21 Sep 08
I think that is a good idea to keep it in the fridge, I would probably manage it better that way than putting it in the freezer. I best check my pasta and stuff too.
1 person likes this
@Ravenladyj (22902)
• United States
21 Sep 08
That happened to me a couple yrs ago...BEST BET..keep the flour in the freezer...thats what i've been doign ever since and havent had a problem at all since doing that....
@gemini_rose (16264)
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21 Sep 08
This is the first time that I have ever had this, it was yucky! I am just glad I noticed them!
@MsTickle (25180)
• Australia
4 Oct 08
The weevils eggs are in the grain when it's harvested...no amount of fumigation seems to eradicate them...I recently found weevils in my Gravox...the company sent me a $10 voucher in compensation. The eggs hatch after a period of time if they are still viable following the processing and cleaning phases. They are clean weevils in that case....
@checapricorn (16061)
• United States
23 Sep 08
[i]Hi gemini,
ohh...I have experienced that also, I used to just taped the box every time I will get something from it and there was one time that I found something there, I do know how they made their way but I really throw the flour since there's a lot in there! I do know if it was a cockroaches poo or what..it was tiny black thing and I don't like to take a risk, it might be poisonous![/i]
@barbiegirl13 (1588)
• United States
21 Sep 08
Yes, I too have found these little pest in my flour. It was a couple of months ago, I was going to make bread and just when I was about to turn the bread machine on poof! there they were. Yuck! Ever since then I have been keeping all of my flour not just in my regular freezer but my deep freezer. I too had read that the eggs are already there, but what I did not know is that they are also in your sugar. Funny thing is I have seen brown flecks in my sugar but have never given any thought to it. I guess from now on I will keep my sugar in the freezer too.
@gemini_rose (16264)
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21 Sep 08
Your kidding, sugar? gosh these things seem to get everywhere, but I am glad that I am not the only one who has ever had this, but sugar, oh i am going to have to check my sugar now.
@twoey68 (13627)
• United States
27 Sep 08
My Mom and I have both run into this problem and I finally hit on a solution...I keep all my baking flours in the freezer. No weevils. I also tend to put things like pancake mix, flour, sugar, any kind of of powders into the freezer. It doesn't damage them and keeps them fresher.
[b]**AT PEACE WITHIN**
~~STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS~~ [/b]
@tessah (6617)
• United States
21 Sep 08
i hate that!! ive had more than once to discover weevils in my dry goods, and when yer in the middle of cooking.. it really ruins the appetite 
weevils come from a moth.. not sure what theyre actually called, but mal refers to them as millers. my mother in law had a trick to keep them out.. bayleaves. store yer flour, cereal, pasta, etc in containters with a few whole bayleaves, you shouldnt have the problem again 
weevils come from a moth.. not sure what theyre actually called, but mal refers to them as millers. my mother in law had a trick to keep them out.. bayleaves. store yer flour, cereal, pasta, etc in containters with a few whole bayleaves, you shouldnt have the problem again @gemini_rose (16264)
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21 Sep 08
A moth? for real? Yes I informed my hubby of my find and had to laugh when he said that I was never to give him anything that was made with flour again. Hmmm so what you going eat then instead as most of your favourite things are made from flour, hee hee. Bayleaves are now on my tomorrows shopping list.
@blackcatbetty (555)
• United States
22 Sep 08
I found this discussion rather appalling , only because I found out I am eating bugs on a regular basis . Wow .. interesting . I have not seen any of these lil critters pop up in my brownies ,but once I was sitting down to a bowl of cereal at night . I made it by the light of the fridge no other lights on . I sat down in front of the tv to watch my movie and ate a few heaping mouths fulls and noticed something that shouldn't be there. There was about 50 of these flying looking ant things but not ants all in it and I ate some . OK I have to stop I started to get the funny taste in the back of my mouth.
@Albatross3 (11)
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21 Sep 08
Were they like little silver fish things?my mum had a load of them in her flour cannister and she binned all of the flour,she couldnt cook the bugs and all.
@gemini_rose (16264)
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21 Sep 08
No they were not but I know what silver fish are as I have had them in the house before.
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
22 Sep 08
Well you know I'm answering this through e-mail and can't see previous responses, so you've probably gotten your answer by now, but this is very common. If flour is left too long these bugs hatch from the flour. It has happened to me quite often. It usually happens if flour is left past it's expiration date. I was horrified the first time it happened to me as well. Now I'm very careful to check the flour before I try to use it. I shake the bag up a bit to see if I see any bugs, and if I do it goes right in the trash.
@TessWhite (3146)
• United States
21 Sep 08
I'm currently battling weevils too. One day while groggy I poured a bowl of cereal with milk and started eating. Then glanced down - the weevils were floating in the milk and I had been eating it! YUCK. I always keep my flour and bisquick in the fridge for this reason. But I hadn't thought about cereal or cake mixes etc. So I just recently went thru and tossed a bunch of stuff. Problem is I still have them. Haven't found a way to get rid of them yet either.
@chaska (170)
• United States
22 Sep 08
That happened to me last year I bought a huge package of rice . After 2 weeks I found bugs in it. I could not figure out how they got in there or what they were. I hardly use flour but I will definitely check the package I have in the pantry. Are there eggs in all pasta too-macaroni, lasagna, etc?
