Weevils!

Cygnet · #1 01/01/08, 06:05 PM

I just discovered weevils in my kitchen. Picked up a box of cornmeal and the shelf moved. It's a newish box that hadn't been opened, so it was probably infested when I purchased it. I've found more weevils in other stuff in the kitchen, though not to that level.

I grew up in a house so badly infested that any grain products would be crawling with bugs within days. This house has been relatively bug-free until now.

Any suggestions for how to delouse my kitchen? I'm scrubbing everything with bleach tonight. (Can't do insecticides here for health reasons.)

I HATE weevils. Purely hate them.

-- Leva

LamiPub · #2 01/01/08, 06:31 PM

My mother in law sprinkles boric powder (sp?) (can also use DE) in the back of her cupboards for insect control. She also sprinkles a little DE in her containers she keeps dry goods in. I keep things like rice, flour, cornmeal, ground flax in the freezer.

Annsni · #3 01/01/08, 06:43 PM

Clean everything with bleach including where shelves connect to the sides of the cabinets.

Put bay leaves on the cabinet shelves.

Freeze EVERYTHING that comes into the house that might possibly be infested. It needs to be frozen for atleast 3 days (don't believe the 24 hour thing). Store grains in the freezer if at all possible.

Move grain food into containers that will not be able to be infested. They can get into Tupperware but those LockLock containers work well as do glass jars with rubber gaskets. They'll eat through plastic bags quickly.

Get the Pantry Pest moth traps and put one in your pantry or where you store the grain foods.

We had an infestation one time and just could not get rid of them no matter what I did until I followed the above advice. Now we don't get them anymore, thank God!

culpeper · #4 01/02/08, 01:10 AM

Personally, I would never eat bugs in my flour, including weevils, whether they've been frozen to death, zapped to death, or are still alive. I'd toss out everything that has been infested. You see, it's not just the bugs or eggs you're eating - it's their poo. Microwaved, cooked poo, or frozen poo, or raw poo - it's still poo, and I do not find it appealing, even if some people can handle it. It's one thing to try to be economical - eating poo and dead bodies is quite another, don't you think?

Wrap the food tightly in plastic, put out into the sun for a day or two (or microwave), then toss into the bin. NOT the compost. (The bugs etc will eventually compost down, but not quickly enough to kill ALL the bugs, some of which will escape.)

Next, thoroughly wash and dry all containers. Then, empty out the cupboard shelves and wipe all over (top, sides and bottom) thoroughly with any of the following:

household ammonia
a strong tea made with basil leaves
a strong tea made with pyrethrum flowers
lemon juice
a home-made garlic spray
a tea made from the leaves of feverfew
a tea made from the leaves of bay

Any of these will kill both weevils and their eggs.

Wipe the outside of all tins etc in the cupboard before replacing them on shelves, preferably using any of the teas referred to above. Scatter some bay leaves (dried or fresh) over the shelves. You can use derris dust instead, if you like, but it's messy and doesn't smell as nice. Ideally, cupboards should be washed out and fresh bay leaves put in at least once or (better) twice a year as a deterrent.

Fill cleaned airtight containers with fresh flour etc, and put a bay leaf or two inside each container.

Never, never leave cereal foods (flour, pasta etc) in cardboard containers, especially once they've been opened. Always transfer the contents immediately to an airtight container. Containers with loose-fitting lids just aren't good enough.

If you have purchased goods, and not opened them, and they have weevils, you should return them to where you bought them and demand a refund. Selling infested food is NOT acceptable business practice. Contact your local health service if the response is not satisfactory.

Alice In TX/MO · #5 01/02/08, 05:55 AM

All purchased food products have insects, insect parts, and insect eggs in them. In one of the health classes I took in college, the instructor had worked for the state health department and shared with us the regulations about what is allowable in food products for sale. You'd be amazed that they allow X number of insects, part, and eggs per so much volume of product.. It is one of those bits of knowledge that I wish I didn't have.

All you can do is try to keep their reproduction at a minimum after you get the product home.

Sorry for the bad news.

Here's a link: http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/0..._your_food.htm

Alice In TX/MO · #6 01/02/08, 05:58 AM

Info on controlling weevils:

http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/hgic3526.htm

bugstabber · #7 01/02/08, 09:51 AM

I got this tip from an older woman years ago. She always put bags of flour, cake mixes, etc into the freezer for a few days - week to kill off anything that was already in the boxes or bags. My advice for getting rid of them is to be sure there is nothing left for them to eat and they should die off. Which reminds me that I need to vacuum out my cupboard too.