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Eradicate those bugs in your flour and keep them out for good
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You go to get a scoop of flour to make your grandma’s world famous chocolate chip cookies, when all of the sudden, you see a little tiny bug. These reddish-brown beetles are called weevils, but they’re often referred to as flour bugs. While it can be worrisome to find your food infested with critters, there’s no need to panic—these common pests are easy to get rid of and even easier to keep out. Keep reading to learn how you can stop weevils in their tracks and keep them out of your pantry for good.
Steps
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Discard any food that has live weevils in it. Although flour bugs primarily like to stay near flour (hence their name), they may also go for cereals, grains, crackers, pasta, and even chocolate. If you see any food that has weevils in it, throw it away and take the trash outside as soon as possible. [1] X Research source
- Eating food with live weevils in it can make you sick, so it’s important to do this initial cleanup right away. If you’re iffy about any food at all, it’s better to throw it out than to keep it around.
- Rest assured that if you’ve accidentally cooked with ingredients that contained weevils, your food is still safe to eat. While it might not be pleasant to take a bite with a cooked weevil in it, since they’re dead, they won’t make you sick.
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Freeze any pantry goods you’d like to keep. Are you worried about that new bag of flour you just bought, or your favorite cereal that you don’t want to get rid of? Put the food inside a resealable plastic bag, then place it in the freezer for 4 to 7 days. This will kill any live weevils and their eggs, making the food safe to eat. [2] X Research source
- Freezing will kill any bugs in your food, but it’s up to you to remove the dead bodies and eggs. Use a sieve or strainer to sift through your dried goods and remove any dead weevils.
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Vacuum and wash your pantry. Remove the food from your pantry shelves and use a vacuum attachment to suck up any loose bits of food or flour. Take a wash cloth dipped in soapy water and wash all of the shelves and anywhere that there may be spilled food. If you've found weevils in other rooms of your house, vacuum them up. [3] X Research source
- Immediately empty the vacuum canister in your dumpster outside so the weevils don't stay in your kitchen trash can.
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Wipe your pantry shelves with white vinegar. Weevils hate the smell of vinegar, so wiping down your pantry with this natural cleaner will deter any bugs still lingering. Mix equal parts of white vinegar and water, then dip a rag in the mixture and wipe your pantry down. [4] X Research source
- If you’re not a fan of the smell of vinegar either, don’t worry—as soon as the vinegar dries, the smell will go away.
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Place all of your foods in airtight, hard containers . Since weevils can eat through cardboard boxes or bags, store all of your pantry foods in hard plastic containers or jars that are air-tight. If you've bought bakery mixes (like cake or muffin mixes), check these for weevils and transfer them to containers. You can color code or label your containers to make them easy to use. [5] X Trustworthy Source Penn State Extension Educational organization dedicated to delivering science-based information to people, businesses, and communities Go to source
- Cut out any cooking instructions from cardboard packages for foods and store them in an organizer in your kitchen.
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Inspect all the food you buy before putting it in your pantry. Flour bugs almost always hitch a ride on the food that you buy and bring into your home. When you head back from the grocery store, take a quick peek at your food. If you see any small, reddish-brown bugs crawling around, throw that food out. [6] X Research source
- If you do find flour bugs (or any other types of bugs) in your food, contact the store you bought it from. They’ll probably issue you a refund.
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Buy smaller amounts of flour. If you don't use very much flour, consider buying small amounts at a time. If you leave flour sitting around for a long period of time, weevils may be encouraged to lay their eggs in it. The faster you use your flour, the fresher it is, and the fewer the chances for infestation. [7] X Research source
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Store flour and grains in the freezer. Have a lot of flour (or rice, or oats) that you won’t be using any time soon? Put it in a resealable plastic bag and keep it in the freezer. This low temperature and low humidity will keep weevils at bay, and it won’t harm the integrity or texture of your food. [8] X Research source
- This is especially a good idea during the summer, when weevils are the most active.
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Place bay leaves in your pantry. Many people have found that the scent of a fresh bay leaf is enough to keep weevils at bay. Place a leaf on each shelf in your pantry, and change them out once a month or so (or when you can’t smell them anymore). [9] X Research source
- Or, place the bay leaves directly into the food container.
- You can also use cloves, since weevils hate that smell, too.
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Use pheromone traps . Pheromone traps secrete a small amount of weevil pheromones to attract and trap the flour bugs. Place a few of these around your pantry, then replace the traps whenever they’re full of weevils. [10] X Research source
- Any trap that says “pantry pests” on it will work on weevils.
- These traps are great for small infestations, but may not work against larger ones. If you can’t get rid of the weevils or you spot more than a dozen crawling around your pantry, contact a pest control professional.
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Check your pantry for weevils on a regular basis. Check your pantry every month or two for weevils. Adult weevils can live for about a year, so it’s a good idea to keep an eye on them. Remember to thoroughly clean out hard-to-reach parts of your pantry where weevils might start thriving. [11] X Research source
- This is a good chance to wash down the pantry shelves again. Keeping a clean pantry will prevent flour weevils from coming back.
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Expert Q&A
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QuestionHow can you prevent weevils from getting into your pantry?Wilson Christner is a Pest Management Professional and Co-Owner of Whitmore Pest & Wildlife Control. With over 14 years of experience, Wilson offers comprehensive services to address immediate pest issues, while also providing valuable recommendations and solutions for habitat improvements and exclusion techniques, particularly for wildlife and rodent-related problems. Wilson holds a wood-destroying organism, outdoor vertebrate, and residential/commercial pest control Qualified Supervisor certification from the Colorado Department of Agriculture. Wilson is also a red card certified wildland firefighter and was honored as the firefighter of the year in 2017.When restocking your pantry, use the "first in, first out" principle. Place new food items behind older ones, ensuring that you consume the older items first. This reduces the chances of having stored food for an extended period, which could attract weevils.
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Tips
- If you have contact paper lining your cupboards, remove it before you clean the cupboards since weevils can hide underneath it.Thanks
- Do not throw contaminated food away in your kitchen. Take it to the outside dumpster to prevent the weevils from re-infesting your pantry.Thanks
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Expert Interview
Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about pest control, check out our in-depth interview with Wilson Christner .
References
- ↑ https://extension.umd.edu/resource/rice-and-granary-weevils
- ↑ https://extension.umd.edu/resource/rice-and-granary-weevils
- ↑ https://extension.umd.edu/resource/rice-and-granary-weevils
- ↑ https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-prevent-get-rid-of-grai-140955
- ↑ https://extension.psu.edu/cereal-and-pantry-pests
- ↑ https://extension.umd.edu/resource/rice-and-granary-weevils
- ↑ https://extension.umd.edu/resource/rice-and-granary-weevils
- ↑ https://extension.umd.edu/resource/rice-and-granary-weevils
- ↑ https://www.thekitchn.com/tips-bay-leaves-in-the-pantry-69557
About This Article
Article Summary
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To get rid of weevils, or flour bugs, first toss out any infested food in your pantry. It’s also a good idea to discard any unsealed dry goods, like rice, flour, pasta, and oats, just to be safe. Next, remove everything else from the pantry and thoroughly vacuum the shelves. Empty the vacuum outside and wipe it down with a disinfectant in case it’s carrying any bugs. Then, wipe down all the pantry surfaces with hot, soapy water or white vinegar. To prevent future infestations, store your dry goods in sealed plastic or glass containers so weevils can’t get to them. Alternatively, you can store your dried goods in the freezer for four days after bringing them home to kill any weevils that might be inside. Placing fresh bay leaves in containers of dry goods may also deter weevils. Change out the bay leaves every couple of months. To learn about other prevention techniques, read on!
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Reader Success Stories
- "It helped me in case of these types of insects. I would have liked to see photos, as I have never had bugs in my home. I am doing investigative work to find out what type of bugs found in Basmati rice. I threw it in my garbage, unopened. They are medium brown and fly." ..." more
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"It helped me in case of these types of insects. I would have liked to see photos, as I have never had bugs in my home. I am doing investigative work to find out what type of bugs found in Basmati rice. I threw it in my garbage, unopened. They are medium brown and fly."
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"The information on this page was very helpful. I noticed the bugs a week ago in my bag of plastic spoons in my pantry. So I stated checking everything and found tons of the little pesky bugs. I tossed almost everything in the pantry that had bugs in it. I vacuum and wiped down the pantry thinking I got them all. I had no clue about the basil or other natural ingredients I could have used. "
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"I didn't realize that the eggs were already in the flour. I had it in my mind it was my bad housekeeping, I'm afraid I get a bit paranoid about weevils and check everything. The freezing tip was also useful. I do already use storage containers. Thank you."
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"I was alarmed to find out that I've been eating generations of weevils all along. Aside from the "ick" factor, I feel better knowing that I'm not alone. Also, I very much appreciate the freezing the flour tip, as well as the bay leaf tip! Wish me luck!"
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"I've found most of the advice very helpful, as I am currently getting rid of an infestation. I've experienced flour mites before, but never an infestation! I now know how to hopefully prevent or at least minimize any further infestations, thank you."
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