Treatment for keeping weevil from grain/meal

thanks for the explainations i am in ks and many here know nothing of grits but the grocer has em. in oklahoma evryone knows grits but it's always been hominy grits,here and south. white ones are better than yellow. this is the first i have heard of corn grits. we use hominy grits like oatmeal as a hot cereal or like biscuits and drown em in sausage gravy. My dad was from iowa and liked fried mush ate it like a waffle or pancake, butter and syrup, but i never heard him mention the corn grits. i am not sure if instant grits or instant oatmeal is made of food but then i never use minute rice either rice oatmeal and hominy grits all cook fast enough for me. so far i have not seen the corn grits in these parts. I am a fat boy so seldom meet food that i don't like. hominy grits are great swell more than rice 1/4 cup goes to 1 cup water for about a cup of dense cooked H grits similar to cream of wheat.thanks so much for the info.

bethlaf,
everything is chemical, ONLY nothing is non-chemical

anything advertised to kill a bug is a pesticide and must be approved by the EPA

If it is sold with a claim that it will kill a bug, it must meet EPA regulations.

The first site you posted says DE is

"a silica product composed of the fossilized cell walls of ancient sea algae. This material is mined, ground into a flour, and used as an insecticide against a variety of pests."

Silica is a chemical, and DE is a pesticide. You can get silicosis if you breathe DE.

Your second site says Canada is studying its use and collaborating on a product that is less concentrated than regular DE. It doesn't suggest its use nor give pointers on amounts, concentration, and safety.

Your third site says the USDA is looking at DE for use as a replacement for the fumigant methyl bromide which is being phased out by 2005. They do not recommend its use nor offer suggestions on how to do so.

You may find it acceptable to use it on your own grain, and it may perform as you suggest. It is a different story when you produce food for sale. You can only use what is approved, or they shut you down.

brural:
I used to have one of the tools, but our business doesn't do that kind of work any longer. I don't remember what it is called, but I will find out and let you know.

Gobug

gobug,

thanks. I was always told that as soon as you bring any boxes like pasta which are not wrapped in plastic, that you should examine carefully and get rid of the box.

When we first bought our home, i had ants one year and then bought litterly a
pantry full ceiling to floor of tupperware and keep everything in them, haven't had one since. I also vacuum out the pantry every couple of weeks when I'm vacuuming to get rid of any residues.

Because of my allergies, I have to vacuum 2-3 times a week (we have air heat which makes dust and of course the kids).

I have never had weevils, but my MIL has and had to throw everything out. That was before she put anything in containers in her cabinets. She also used to save every last crumb of food in the box.

The only time i've seen evidence of a couple is when i put my pasta maker away in it's box and a little flour got on the bottom of the box. The couple of weevils were dead and dried up! That was a long time ago and I ONLY store food in my pantry and it's all sealed up.

I would like the name of that gadget though. Thanks for your input.

brural

Hey, thanks to all of you for your replies and contributions to what has turned out to be a good thread.

Although we actually have some food grade DE, I'm not comfortable with adding it to my own grain, let alone any that we might sell. I'm just not happy eating something that cuts up insects if they ingest it. I was hoping someone had experience in using it, contained but in the grain tub, that worked; for example sitting on the top of the grain in a bowl or something. For the time being, I'm opting for bay leaves. We've used them, with so-so results in the past and am doing that again. Our problem at the present is that we have a fair supply of white cornmeal, ground for demo purposes, that we need to store until we can use, sell, give away or feed to livestock. I'd thought (it turns out correctly) that y'all might have some interesting feedback. Then when brural started the other thread on grinding grain, the whole thing got more interesting. Thanks again.

Someone up there asked about indications of weevil. They web in the top of the container first, then down thru it. Nasty.

Generally, the egg is in the grain and hatches under the right conditions.

And, as some have pointed out, cleanliness all around is essential but getting ALL the dust is blamed-near impossible in a fair-sized milling operation.

You've all been helpful.

Dee

__________________
This world is not my home; I'm just a'passin' through.

Webbing at the top of the grain indicates the eggs were laid on top. This means the adults had access to the top of the grain. Perhaps tighter containers would help. Screw lids are not adequate. You might tape a layer of plastic between your lid and vessels. If webbing continues to appear at the top, it means the flour has all stages of the bug.

You are absolutely right about the difficulty of keeping it really clean. In reality it is the total best solution to bug problems.

One of my customers makes hamburger buns - one million dozen each day. It is basically a giant bread machine with humans monitoring but not touching the product in any stage. While the scale of the operation makes it a different world than yours, those responsible for sanitation face the same challenges as you in keeping up with the dust. Not only is it difficult, the schedule is almost always at odds with keeping the place clean. Their relentless attention to looking for bugs, responding when they are found, and keeping it clean make my job easier.

Of course, you're absolutely correct but 'way back up there somewhere, someone wondered if there were any obvious signs of weevil. Webbing is an obvious one. Don't have webbing. Don't have weevil. 'nuff said.

__________________
This world is not my home; I'm just a'passin' through.

I don't think a container of DE sitting on top of the grain would have any effectiveness. I've mixed DE with the grain (and beans and other food seeds) for several years with no problems. It is actually healthy to eat some with your grain. It is a good source of trace minerals. It will also eliminate intestinal parasites if you get enough of it. It has now been proven that the body will dissolve it if it does get into the lungs. I would still use resonable caution not to inhale it, just don't need to be paranoid about it.

__________________
I believe in God's willingness to heal.

Cyngbaeld's Keep Heritage Farm, breeding a variety of historical birds and LaMancha goats. (It is pronounced King Bold.)