Bugs in your pantry?

[canetoad]

I just posted this as a reply in the cooking group; it may be useful to someone here.

Do you ever go to use an opened packet of nuts, breadcrumbs or similar and find they are infested with pantry moths or weevils? Screw top jars don't keep them out. Solution: keep those items in the freezer and they are good for AEONS!

[Sienna86]

1. A bay leaf?

The freezer would provide absolute protection from little critters. My mom would keep a bay leaf in the corn meal and flour in teh pantry to keep them "protected".

[Curmudgeoness]

4. I used to have a problem all the time, and they laughed at bay leaves.

I had a bird, and the bird seed always seemed to bring pantry moths and weevils into the house. Bay leaves didn't work for me although that was what I was told to try.

Everything that came into the house started going in the freezer for a day or two to kill all the bugs and eggs, and that was the only thing that solved the problem.

[kestrel91316]

2. I store all my flours, grains, etc in either jars with tight lids, or sealed in

ziploc bags, or at the very least tight inside a plastic container with a lid and some bay leaves sitting on top of the flour. I only got pantry moths once, years ago, when I accepted a torn bag of bird seed from a friend and stored it in the kitchen. Took a while to get it all cleared up, but they are long gone. I also put flour in the freezer for a few weeks if I got it in a paper bag, so it doesn't bring the darned things in.

[northoftheborder]

3. Weevils! are evil!

I've had several infestations of these over the years. If your things are in a pantry with a light, turning the light on frequently seems to help. (they seem to like darkness). Also, whenever you bring in a new flour or grain, put it in the freezer for a couple of days to kill any possible larvae or bugs. They can eat through anything cardboard or paper, and eat anything, even spices, but keeping food in tightly closed glass or plastic at least confines them to that one container, if they are in there. They do not carry diseases, but are pesky.