flour beetles in entire house
Jamie
4 years ago
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sheilajoyce_gw
4 years agoFori
4 years agoRelated Discussions
baking soda and flour mix on cabbage worms
Comments (16)Yes, while companion planting's effects on soil or plant growth are not scientifically supported, certain plants are sure to attract beneficial wasps and flies to your garden and it is hoped feed on the caterpillars (and other pests!). In addition to those Kevin mentioned, I'd add cilantro and fennel. Fennel can be invasive, so make sure you have an appropriate place to plant it. (ps cilantro and parsley overwinter in my zone 7 garden) I have struggled to grow any Brassica crop until this year, when I kept the plants covered with row cover attached to hoops. Occasionally cabbage moths do get in, plus slugs can be an issue for me, so I also use diatomaceous earth. With those two strategies you can save the flour for baking!...See MoreReasons for no-no canning with flour, eggs?
Comments (19)I don't know how you concluded it's because I said so from the information provided. I'm not going to backtrack and read the entire thread but the gist is this. 1) There is still one flour-thickened mustard pickle in the Ball Blue Book. Generally flour presents pH and density issues in canning; it's not that it can't be used, it's that little testing has been done to determine the correct processing time to compensate for the properties of the flour. ClearJel is today's preferred thickener. It presents less of a barrier to heat penetration and doesn't break down during heat processing as flour does. So in many regards it's the superior product. 2) Eggs or egg-thickened products don't hold up well to home canning and have short shelf lives. Again, except for an NCHFP lemon curd, I don't know of any egg products which have been tested to determine whether there's an optimal processing time which is both safe and results in a quality product with a reasonable shelf life. 3) It's futile to compare home canning and commercial processing. They're quite dissimilar. Aside from the fact that commercial processors have access to sophisticated equipment and labs to test their products and maintain quality control, all you have to do is peruse many labels for their lengthy list of preservatives, acids, sugars and gums to determine how they manage to make many of their products shelf stable. It's the obverse of home preserving. Frankly, I think it's an insult to the good people here to claim they're falling back on because I said so when time after time they explain and re-explain why some of these foods can't easily be re-created in a home environment. If Bill Gates wants to direct some of his money to the NCHFP (which last year shut down for lack of funding) so that new research can be done, maybe some of the commercial clones people are interested in can be tested. Carol...See MoreFlea Beetles
Comments (4)As far as flour working on flea beatles goes...heck, I don't know. I can't really imagine why that would work, but if it works for somebody, who can argue with results? The part about wilting leaves makes a lot of sense to me though. I can imagine that the flour simply sucks water out of the stomas of the leaves faster than it can be replaced through the roots. Flour is really good at sucking up moister. Just like a mouth full of flour would make you really parched. (Don't ask me how I know that. Let's just say that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas). I bet the flour just absorbs more water than the roots can replace it especially in hot weather. Just imagine how fast water could get sucked out of individual stomates and the spread out to eveporate over a larger area on a hot day....See MoreBay Leaves in Flour?
Comments (17)I know you do a lot of breadmaking and other baking and use a lot of rice so maybe that's a reasonable amount to buy at a time, IDK, but I would give it some thought and not get more than, say 3-6 months worth at a time, which this may be for you. As for storage, I've heard of the bay leaves, but not sure if it really works. And it's really unnecessary if you seal it tight which you need to do anyway. Open bags of flour are bug/roach vacation spots and a few bay leaves aren't likely to stop them. You need it sealed and maybe the leaves will help some. What's your outside temps now? Put the stuff into plastic bags into tight plastic containers (5 gal pails with tight seals and a plastic seal works well) and keep it in the garage if you have one. Stuff it in a cooler, covered pails, totes or something and stick in a snowbank if you need to and have the spot for it. I doubt you'd have enough room in your freezer for that much product. I suppose by now if there's bugs they're in there so if that's the case, it's too late now but just some options for the future. If you don't have freezer space when buying it, I'd leave it in the car and freeze what you can, then seal it. Check with deli counters for glass pickle jars. They make great flour canisters. You might want to give some thought to a vacuum sealer too. You might have enough different uses for it to justify the cost. Although backroom conditions have improved around here dramatically, I saw too many bugs and rodents in the back rooms of stores to not seal and freeze everything I can. Pasta, flour, sugar, rice, and anything that's not sealed in a plastic bag in the box. That's an absolute around my place. I'm a real stickler on that. Literally within seconds of it coming home, pasta, flour, etc is put in the freezer or a cooler in the garage (during the winter) and/or plastic bagged. I know people think I'm paranoid about it but like I said after seeing the mice running across the floors in the back of a grocery store years back it just stuck in my mind and hearing from people who've experienced infestations, well I'm gonna just be paranoid! You're not in as much danger as the southern climates but bugs are a real PITA if you get them and they're not easy to remove once infested. Plus, you're in an apartment, right? You also run the risk of neighbors not being careful and the little buggers can come for a visit from you. A friend had to move from a great apartment because they couldn't get the roaches under control. When they are crawling out of the laptop computer (which they did) you know things are bad! I assume you're buying these sizes for price? Be sure to factor in the cost of containers, extra ziplocks, plastic wrap, etc when you think about price. I imagine you could even look at a small freezer and factor in the electric expense if you go through a huge amount but I doubt it would be cost effective. Stores have flour on sale at all major holidays and it beats the "cost club" pricing anyway. If you have an Aldi around you can check their prices too. Might be a better alternative. But for now, seal that stuff up tight! Even if you have to use ice cream pails, Press-N-Seal wrap and an extra layer of good plastic wrap will make a pretty tight seal. Wrap in a large plastic bag and/or put in a tote for storage in a closet or corner....See Morebelnest
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4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoWaynette Bailey
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