My best suggestion is to freeze it for at least three hours. If possible, over night or a week even. Then store in airtight containers. We started doing this with our rabbit food after we started getting moths. So far we aren't getting any more, as long as we freeze it for a while first. It works the same as winter does to freeze off a lot of the bugs in the colder climates.

Tami...who has felt your pain!

Also bay leaves scattered around your cupboards repel weavels and cereal moths.
I buy bay leaves by the 4 Oz....which is a lot of bay leaves....and scatter them in thed rawerw here I keep flour and pasta and more in the shelf where I keep crackers and such.
all wholeg rains go in ther efrigerator or freezer....where ever I have more space.
Reminds me I better be replacing my bayleaves....they have been there a year and Spring and bug season is coming.
Linda c

I just freeze all my grains/flour when I buy them and leave them in the freezer for at least 2 days. The main idea is to make sure they have been thoroughly frozen. Then I take them out and put in air tight containers. I keep flour in old big popcorn cans and such in their original wrappers. This way if I freeze them when I get them it doesn't take up much room in the freezer since I don't usually buy them all at the same time, although you could wait and rotate if you buy several things together.

I also use bay leaves in my pantries to ward off any outside bugs or to keep them from spreading if one bag gets them. I buy good sized jars of them at the dollar store and scatter them on shelves and in drawers.

Bobby, I had those darn bugs too, and follow the same plan as coconut-nj. It works great. You don't have to use up all of your freezer space for more than a few days.
I also bought a bag of bay leaves at the Indian Grocery and have them on the shelves, but they look like I have a messy pantry! (It is, but more in a disorganized--not neat like Mustang's--way!)

Thank you! I never want to repeat that experience again!

Not to long after I first moved to FL, I lost almost my entire pantry. This state is bug heaven. I bought a bunch of tupperware that stacks and now all of my dry goods are poured into the tupperware when I bring it into the house. This way if I bring something home from the supermarket it can't spread. Having the plastic tubs labeled and stacked makes the pantry very neat. I even put open bags/boxes or rice into a large ziploc just to be safe. It seems to be working for me. My last issue was tiny moths that came in with a box of sealed pasta. They didn't affect any of my staples though, that tupperware seals nice and tight.

I have big square Rubbermaid containers for flour and sugar, and I use them fast enough that I don't seem to have a problem. I keep cornmeal, dried beans, chocolate chips, nuts, grains, etc., in old blue canning jars because I always spill a partial bag or box of anything. And I just got a set of "Lock and Lock" containers on clearance from JC Penney, I love those things, they never leak, and one was just the right size for my whole wheat flour.

In the summer when I don't do as much baking, I put flour and grains into the freezer for 3 or 4 days, then put the stuff into their containers. I also have bay leaves in my pantry and they seem to be working well.

I did have an infestation of bugs several years ago and bought some pheromone traps from Gardens Alive. Those worked great for the meal moths but they were disgusting if you looked inside and found out how many bugs you actually caught.

Annie

Bobby, Like others, Been there, done that and I don't want to do it again! I had a sever problem. I finally had to bit the bullet and get rid of everything. So, I feel for you buddy.

I do keep bug potential products in canisters with the tops labeled.

Cathy,

You are my American Idol.

I have the big square/rectangular Rubbermaid containers too. They fit better in a cabinet than round. I freeze Everything for at least 24 hours then transfer it to the container. I haven't had a problem in 10 years - or since I started doing things this way.
Also, boxes, like a rice a roni box, should be frozen too and if the contents can't be frozen , like crackers, take then out of the box and put in a container or Ziploc bag.

I had the moths. I didn't understand how nasty the infestation had gotten until I was toasting pine nuts and they wiggled in the pan!!! (They look a lot like pine nuts in their larval state, so I didn't notice the packaging had been compromised and the pine nuts were horrifically infested.) That's enough to put a gal off her pesto for a spell!

In my experience, ziplock bags and original packaging are not adequate to keep things out. The containers must have some form of gasket. Very large canning jars (1/2 gallon) work well for flours and pasta... I like to tuck a cut portion of the original packaging into the container so I always have clear product ID, date of purchase and cooking times.

My horrific discovery with the moths is that they were using the hundreds of tiny holes drilled into my pantry walls to accommodate the adjustable shelving as a prefab breeding colony. I had to go into each flippin' hole with a pair of pointy tweezers to remove the larvae that had been webbed in, and then swab out the hole with a Q-tip coated in bug poison (didn't want to fog my food).

Good luck, and don't ignore an infestation even if it seems daunting. They only get worse!

Guess there's something good living in NW Canada. It's too darn cold for any bugs to live, even in our kitchen.

I also store my dry goods in containers, either very large tupperware cannisters, or large rubbermaid cannisters. I have never had a problem with bugs while using the cannisters, I have occasionally had a problem with bugs in farina, which I usually keep in a plastic bag.

Tami, I too have a rabbit, Shaq is my third. With my first rabbit we often had trouble with moths in the food. I started watching the stores when I bought the food, and noticed that some of the stores were infested. I make sure to never buy food, and especially hay, in stores that have any sign of moths. Knock on wood, I have not had a problem with moths in almost 8 years.

Joanne

First thing you need to do is change where you shop. You're right that the eggs are in virtually all grain products we buy. But if you buy at stores with a high turnover rate for those products, and ones that store their stock properly, you're going to have a much greater chance of avoiding bringing the live 'pets' home with you.

I have to add about storing in plastic containers--t-ware or rubbermade--their seas are NOT adequate for keeping the bugs contained if they happen to hatch. They can easily crawl through those seals, and infest other foods. I, contrary to someone else's experience--so take this for what it's worth (maybe we used different brands) have found that ziplock bags are the way to go.

But the bottom line about weevils--while they're unappetizing and creepy to find in your foods--aren't harmful. In a pinch, you can sift your flour/cake mixes to get rid of them. You can scoop them out (they float) of the boiling water when cooking pasta--with no harm to your family's health. Even if you happen to ingest a few, they won't harm you--other than to gross you out, of course.

Vacuumfreak, I hope you caught the problem before it got too bad, and wish you luck in keeping bug free.

Joanne, Your first is my middle name, spelled the same! We are on bunnies 2 & 3 right now. If you can buy your hay by the small bale (about 2ft by 4ft) from a local farmer and keep it in a couple of garbage cans, it's lots cheaper, and probably better hay, than buying it in the store. Here, it's about $12 for a large bag of hay, which lasts maybe a month, and we bought a bale for $10 last fall which we still have some of! And we shared some with our DD, who has three bunnies of her own! We have purchased one bag of hay since then, do to the fact that the bunnies managed to pull the bag into their house and chew holes in the bag. We keep the bag and refill from the cans.

Tami

I keep all my grains, flours, nuts, and legumes in screw top jars and large plastic screw-top containers ever since I brought some moth home in some dried mushrooms from Chinatown. Now on the rare occasion when something I buy hatches moth, it is confined to the one container.

I got some tiny, dark bugs in my rice once, and my friend's mother told me to toss a few dried chili peppers into the rice when I store it. Never have had those bugs again. I had a friend who used to insert sticks of spearmint gum into her flour to keep insects out. She swore it worked.

When I bring flour home from the grocery store, I immediately put the bag in a clear bag with a twisty to see if anything hatches out of it before I put it in my Tupperware. But maybe this isn't enough--they can probably just wiggle out. Hmmm... I also use the bay leaves but does anyone know how often they should be replaced and how many should be on a shelf?

With Bobby being in Florida, all stores are likely to have bugs and when I lived in Sarasota, I had to be careful to not leave any food out of a tight container or I would have roaches and weevils.

Tami, isn't that funny! We share a name and a love of rabbits! We live in Naperville, IL, one of Chicago's western suburbs. A community of about 130,000 people, it is not easy to find somewhere local to buy a bale of hay. By the time I pay for fuel, I might as well by the hay at the pet store next to the supermarket. Plus, I only have one tiny bunny, she weighs about 3.5 lbs, so it takes her a couple months to eat through (figuratively, but that would be literal if I left the bag where she could reach it) a 40oz bag of hay. There is one mini farm in the area that sells rabbits, chicks, and baby ducks at easter and might have access to bales of hay, but I could not support them. I feel sorry for all those poor baby animals that are used as live basket stuffers.

Oh, and as for the weevels, I know you can sift them out, but ewww! I can't do that. The first sign of anything wiggly in my flour, rice, etc. and it is out the door and into the garbage after being sealed into a double layer of ziploc bags. I can't stand bugs! We will not be retiring to Florida!

Joanne

I've lived in FL my whole life and never had weevils "develop" so quickly or get into everything at the same time. I put my flour in a ziplock bag and stuck it in the freezer for a couple of days. Last night, I bought a container at Target that has an air tight lid. It has a diaphragm on it, and you pinch two clips on the top of the lid to open or close it. It's plastic. It was VERY hard to find something I liked. I wanted something that was big enough for me to dig a spoon in, fluff the flour, and be able to scrape off the excess back into the container. I looked at several other glass and plastic containers before picking this one. On the ones that just had rubber seals, they were hard to open and close and the seal came off with the lid every time I tried to open it in the store. On the glass ones, the opening was just too small! I think I am going to get more of these containers for flours, corn meal, and sugars.... I like them a lot, but to buy a bunch wouldn't be cheap.

Here's to no more weevils EVER!

Cathy, that picture sends chills down my sloppy spine!

trudy, I replace mine every three or four months or when I think about it. I've got a couple of leaves per shelf and my pantry sleves are about 2x3 each.

I also put a leaf right into a canister of beans or rice if I think it's going to take me a while to use it.

I know some scientists say bay leaf doesn't work but I've not had a problem since I've started using them. I buy mine in a big bag at Penzey's, much cheaper than a small jar or box at the grocery store.

Annie

Annie, I'm with you. I have heard that it's a myth that bay leaves ward off bugs but until I see evidence that they aren't effective, I will continue to scatter leaves in the pantry.

I'm not as neat as Cathy :->

I took a picture of my Florida bug defeating system as is. I like the Tupperware because it stacks so nicely and the seals hold tight for years.

As is, lived in, pantry...

If the weevils are inside the containers, they're sure to be outside them on your shelves, too. Empty out all your storage area, and wipe over all surfaces (top, bottom, sides) with a tea made from basil leaves, or bay leaves, or peppercorns, or feverfew leaves, or pyrethrum flowers, or garlic, or commercial neem. This will kill off any stray eggs.

Discard any foods that have been contaminated. Put them into plastic bags, seal tightly, and put into the bin. You can freeze, microwave or bake weevils to kill them off, but you can't get rid of the dead bodies, or their faeces, so there's no way I'd eat infested foods! I draw the line at eating poo!

Clean out the containers by washing in any of the teas mentioned above, or as usual. You can use the essential oils of the herbs in the washing/rinsing water instead of using the tea if you haven't got the fresh herbs.

I have my own bay tree, so I have a limitless supply of leaves. I put them into every container, and also scatter them on shelves. Peppercorns work in much the same way.

Store your flour, pasta, rice, oats, cereals etc in airtight containers. Never, ever store anything in cardboard packaging once it's opened.

Make your own weevil deterrent sachets to put in pantry shelves:

Place cloves of unpeeled garlic on a baking tray in a warm oven for about an hour. Combine with crushed bay leaves and place in small muslin bags. Scatter sachets in cupboards and amongst food, or inside large containers of food.

Hey! Another rabbit owner here! We have a "Dutch Chocolate" bunny named Hermes. He's such a cutie. And I love that he's a real, chocolate bunny lol!! I'll have to watch his pellets - I haven't noticed any critters, but you never know!

I keep all my flours in my big freezer in the basement, but I don't just freeze them for a few days, I store the bags right in the freezer. I just have to remember to take them out a few hours before I want to use the flours so they come to room temp. Then again, I do have that extra big freezer so I don't have to worry about taking up space in my everyday one.

I've never found anything in any of my flours, but I have had little buggies in a box of pasta now and then. They're like a tiny brown worm-type thing. Mostly I find "skins" or "cocoons" or whatever they are, floating when I pour the box into the boiling water. It hasn't happened that often, however, luckily!

And wow mustangs - that is one organized pantry!! I'm an organizational freak myself (no offense intended!) but that has me beat! Of course, I'd have to have a pantry first before I could organize it! One day, one day...

Lisa