Asked on Jan 19, 2015

How can I do to prevent weevils on my pantry?

Letty
by Letty
We are playing with the idea of "what if we lived in Alaska" after watching a series of movies and TV shows. So, we have tried to pretend we are there, in a remote area, and need to buy in bulk. But, my rice ended up with weevils, sometimes my dry pastas get weevils, and sometimes my flours and corn mil get weevils. So, how can I stop this little bugs from getting in my food? I think they are somehow already in there (at least their eggs) because I have my flours and grains in sealed containers. I have heard of many people buying in bulk, but how do you make it last?
  22 answers
  • Claire` Claire` on Jan 19, 2015
    Sometimes you bring them in when you buy these things. We were infested with them and the pantry moths so we bought pantry moth traps which are non toxic and after a few months of using them according to directions, we haven't seen them. We bought the traps in Home Depot. Good luck!
  • Claire` Claire` on Jan 19, 2015
    I forgot to mention that we got rid of anything that was open because of the possibility that the bugs were already there and then we set up the traps.
  • Letty Letty on Jan 19, 2015
    So the moth traps can get rid of weevils too? I'll give it a try.
  • Jodi Davis Jodi Davis on Jan 19, 2015
    Put pieces of wrapped spearmint gum down in the bulk item. Don't know what it is about it but, my grandmother did it for years and it always worked! I have carried on the tradition.
  • Letty Letty on Jan 19, 2015
    Spearmint gun. Interesting. I'll give that one a try too. Will the stuff smell like spearmint? I guess I'll find out. Thanks Jodi.
  • Karen Tiffin Karen Tiffin on Jan 19, 2015
    I always put my flour, cornmeal, etc. in the freezer. It will kill any weevils already there and prevent more.
  • Letty Letty on Jan 19, 2015
    Ah. So that's why my boss has her corn mil in the freezer. I don't have room in my freezer to store these items for now. Time for an upgrade!
  • KathrynElizabeth Etier KathrynElizabeth Etier on Jan 20, 2015
    I keep pasta in mason jars and other weevil-prone items in appropriately sized glass jars. Mason jars can go in the freezer.
  • JeDonne M JeDonne M on Jan 20, 2015
    I put a large or couple small Bay Leaves in mine. Seems to work fine. Got the tip from my mom who passed it on from her mom....lol
  • Carol Wilson Carol Wilson on Jan 20, 2015
    I use bay leaves, too. Has always worked for me....and my mom...and my grandmothers! You don't put them in the grains/bags, just lay them around in the pantry. Before that, however, I'd toss everything, do a thorough cleaning and then lay a few bay leaves out before restocking!
  • Claire` Claire` on Jan 20, 2015
    I used the traps for many months and thought it would be a forever thing but now have not seen any in quite a while. that spearmint gum thing sounds interesting.
  • Claire` Claire` on Jan 20, 2015
    The moths lay the eggs that turn into weevils. YUCK!!!
  • Letty Letty on Jan 20, 2015
    I have my stuff in glass mason fars and plastic storage containers and are always sealed. I don't know how they got in. If they come with them, hopefully the spearmint gums will stop them from growing. If the moths make them (which I did not know), the traps and bay leafs should work. So, moth eggs? Yuck! Thanks everyone.
  • Bonnie Spielman Bonnie Spielman on Jan 21, 2015
    The weevils or eggs are already in the flour. I put my flour and rice, anything like that in the freezer.
  • Liliana Wells Liliana Wells on Jan 21, 2015
    I use the bay leave too directly in the flour. However, last year I lost about 25 lbs. flour for some reason to weevils. We make our own bread. Now I don't buy as much anymore; but it is a pain to go back and forth to the store for more supplies. One would have to have a pretty big freezer to put all this bulk stuff in there.
  • Letty Letty on Jan 21, 2015
    I do not have room in my freezer. We do have an extra freezer chest but is always full with our game meats and skins. (We are also practicing on tanning hides for rugs, clothes, and tents.) we have considered getting a bigger freezer chest or a stand up chest, but don't have room for it. I think I'm going to try all the ideas together and hope for the best.
  • ...I put my flour ( still in the bag it comes in ) in the freezer right when I bring it home. I leave it there for a week, then put it in a Ziploc baggie , or Tupperware container and store in the fridge. :)
  • Julie Yeary Julie Yeary on Jun 15, 2015
    Thy do come in things you buy. Like flour, rice and spaghetti. About anything grain based that doesn't come in the hard to open packages. You'll also have to thoroughly clean your cabinets. To limit the problem put stuff that might have them in a tight container. I'm not sure how to deal with bulk flour. I use the freezer trick myself. You should be able to find out how to handle bulk items on the prepper web sites. Most of them talk about how to store stuff for years. I've also used vinegar to clean the cabinets. I don't know if it actually has any benefit over actually just cleaning them.
    • Letty Letty on Jun 15, 2015
      @Julie Yeary Thank you for your suggestions. I will check out prepper websites to see what I find. Thanks.
  • Frances Frances on Jul 06, 2015
    Try placing a 30mm section of a candle (normal household candle) in the container.
  • Claire` Claire` on Jul 07, 2015
    Home Depot sells Pantry Moth Traps which took a long time but finally did get rid of the them and haven't seen them in a long time. They're supposed to lure the moths and then they get stuck on the paper so it's natural and non toxic. I keep everthing in air tight containers now too.
    • Letty Letty on Jul 07, 2015
      Thanks. Hadn't heard of it. I'll look for them next time I go to Home Depot.
  • Cindy tustin Cindy tustin on Aug 22, 2015
    I once had an infestation of pantry moths. I had purchased a bag of dog food when i opened it literally hundreds of moths flew every where. I used the moth traps and was so happy about the results. A month or so later I would be greeted by a new hatch. At a new to you I had purchased some scrap red wood it is used for siding and i had read it was a n insect deterent. I cut several pieces about 2 in wide 4 in long and placed them on all the shelves in my pantry with in a couple of weeks the moths were gone and have never returned. This was at least three years ago. I swear on this to everyone.
    • Letty Letty on Aug 22, 2015
      I'm gonna have to get red wood. Thanks for the tip. I'm also going to start putting pet food in buckets to prevent same thing from happening. Hasn't happened yet but you can't be too careful. Thanks.
  • DORLIS DORLIS on Aug 22, 2015
    bAY LEAVES IN THE CONTAINER OR ESSENTIAL OILS - ANY MINT