found small insects in my flour cabinet - What to do?
I found small insects (like 1/8" length sticks that move around) in the bottom of my flour cabinet. It did not look like it was able to fly. All of them (like 100 of them) were just moving around at the bottom of the cabinet. I through away all my open Flour and parts and grain.
I also emptied the whole cabinet and sprayed it with Tilex (which is basically Clorox). I used to keep all my flours in the bag. From now on I will keep them in Seals containers. I hope this helps. Or I may just keep them in the freezer.
I have a bunch of canned food (still unopened). I have some pasta that is still unopened. But I am not sure if there are any of thee insects on the outside surface. They are just too small to see with naked eye unless they are on very light color surface.
What do you guys recommend? thanks
Unfortunately they can be difficult to get rid of, but sounds like you did the right thing. Make sure everything is properly sealed, throw out any infected product,and wipe all the kitchen surfaces with vinegar. Some people also leave bay leaves around because apparently they don't like it, but no idea if that works.
Most likely they are weevils. Weevil larvae are present in every bag of flour, but after a while, they grow and .... you are seeing the result. There's an easy fix to combat weevils. When you get a new bag of flour, put it in your freezer for at least 48 hours to one week. That kills the larvae permanently. You can store the flour in your pantry or your refrigerator, whatever you prefer. You won't be bothered by weevils again.
thank you very much. I will be storing my flour from now on in the fridge.
Sift them out...
Sometimes called Indian Meal Moths. That's what you have. They are not weevils, rather they are small moths, and are very common.
They are difficult to get rid of. I suggest searching the web for extermination methods. Afterwords, prevention is the key. As suggested, freeze all grain products you purchase for 2-5 days before storing them in the pantry/closet. Things like dry cereal, oatmeal, all grains and flours, pretzels, etc. are subject to be be infested.
After extermination, periodically put a few drops of oil of eucalyptus in a shallow container and leave open bottles of bay leaves on the shelves.
Don't ask me how I know.
I was able to take a photo of one.
So far I have put everything that was in that cabinet in my freezer.
I never had that problem until I moved down South. I had to throw all my flour out. Now I keep all my flour in either the refrigerator or freezer and not problems now.