Evil weevils

Ellie2758

Sparky67 wrote:

OMG :eek:

I have some old bags of flour in the back of the cupboard and daredn't even have a look in there now....

Eeeeewwwwww.....

As we all seem to be experts on insect life - what are those furry little things you occassionally find (or at least I do.....!?:o ) on your walls? They are about 2 - 3 mm long and just look like fuzzy little things. They don't move very quickly, but do seem to just disappear.... Unfortunately you can't google a picture!

Take more water with your wine is my advice!

Murray

Sparky67 wrote:

As we all seem to be experts on insect life - what are those furry little things you occassionally find (or at least I do.....!?:o ) on your walls? They are about 2 - 3 mm long and just look like fuzzy little things. They don't move very quickly, but do seem to just disappear.... Unfortunately you can't google a picture!

They sound suspiciously like floaters - the fuzzy lines and spots that live in the liquid in your eye (they're just some kind of sediment - not a yucky parasite!). I've got so many that I found myself wafting flies away from my face during the summer then realising that it was just me catching site of a floater out of the corner of my eye...I got a few strange looks I can tell you!!

kfn1502

Weevils in flour is very common in Australia (my home country), and general opinion is that they are indeed in the flour when you buy it and they hatch over time. Probably many of the suggestions given already will work. My favourite, and I think easiest, method of control is to put your flour in the freezer for at least 24 hours after purchase (mine is usually in the freezer for a week or so, until I remember to take it out again). Apparently this kills them. I then store the flour in tupperware containers, but I think it's probably okay even if you leave it in the packet. I haven't had any weevil problem since using the freezer method.

However, if you've got weevils and don't want to waste food, I know it looks and seems gross, but all you really have to do is sift the flour, ditch the wrigglies (which won't go through the sifter) and it's fine to use. So no creepie crawlies in your cake, and no wastage of a perfectly good food product either.

wildchild

I've heard of 2 simple things you can do to avoid weevils in flour - pop a bay leaf in the flour or pop a spoon in with it. I expect that the spoon should be an old silver one rather than one of the modern things. The spoon or bayleaf have to go in BEFORE you notice a problem tho! I've tried both and never had a problem again.

Hope this helps.

dalesmum

Bit unsavoury, aren't they? Since I started keeping all my flour in a large lock'n'lock-style container, I've never had a problem.

Somerled

In a missionary cookbook I read ("Western Cooking in an Eastern World", Bideshi Baburchi) how to prepare flour when living in countries where weevils are the norm and not the exception. It said to place flour in an ungreased skillet and start to warm. After a while all the weevils will make for the surface. At this point just scoop them off with a spoon or spatula and use the flour as normal. Saves wasting flour.
In case your wondering no I havent done this.

skintmostofthetime

Sorry but I tto used the flour with these tiny weeny things in - husband knew nowt and survived !!

Drama_Queen

gilly41 wrote:

Hi
I had two bags of opened flour in my cupboard---still in the bags with pegs on them as I used them a while ago! I was going to make some scones today and when I put the flour on the scales it has tiny little creepy crawly things in it eeeeek!!! as did my other bag of flour!!!
I have never seen these before---what could they be? I have checked everything else in the cupboards and they are all ok! The cupboards were only cleaned out with bleach a week ago

---

so they are spotless(makes a change LOL)
Thanks
x

Hi there....I had this problem a long, long time ago and was told by someone very reliable that it was the raising agent in the self raising flour causing the prob. Self raising flour doesn't keep well - so I was advised to buy plain flour, which keeps for months and add baking powder if I need a self raising flour! Hope this helps

patriciann1604

It is not so much the weevils, guess they can be removed by seiving, but what about what they do in the flour!! (calls of nature ect!):eek: Patriciann

Leonie

Sparky67 wrote:

OMG :eek:

I have some old bags of flour in the back of the cupboard and daredn't even have a look in there now....

Eeeeewwwwww.....

As we all seem to be experts on insect life - what are those furry little things you occassionally find (or at least I do.....!?:o ) on your walls? They are about 2 - 3 mm long and just look like fuzzy little things. They don't move very quickly, but do seem to just disappear.... Unfortunately you can't google a picture!

These could well be 'Woolly Bears'! Lava of the carpet beetle - which looks something like a ladybird with the colours reversed, or maybe brown and cream. These like to munch on any natural fibre, you need to get rid of them! They sometimes get in clothes drawers, or airing cupboards. We used to take everything out, wash it all, spray the drawers with insecticide. Now, I usually just put the beetles out as soon as I see any in the house.

If you Google for 'carpet beetle lava' it gives you more info.