Grrrr - Flour weevils

I've been trying to be so healthy and making my own stuff - including bread. So naturally I have a cupboard full of loads of different flours.

Well, I did have, until I tried to make a loaf today and found the flour cupboard crawling with the little bastards (said in a loving way;)). That'll teach me to hoard flour that's getting near its use by date. I have now restocked, and put each packet into a seperate air/liquid proof container. Hopefully that means weevil proof, too.

The questions are
- what the hell did weevils live on before man started milling grains into flour? Cos that is all they seem to go for.
- is organic flour more likely to have weevil eggs in it?

Although I am now paranoid that I will find them swimming in my morning bran flakes :eek:

Will they be doing the back stroke or crawl????

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boomer

Will they be doing the back stroke or crawl????

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:)

Gee thanks Rob. I had never even HEARD of a flour weevil until I read this thread. Now I'm all paranoid about them, since I have about 4 different kinds of flour, and especially since I just used flour today :mad: . I think I'll get all my flour and put it in microwave containers right now. I don't want any little critters doing the backstroke OR crawl in my morning bran flakes!

As far as I know the eggs are already in the product when you buy it so it doesn't matter what container you use. I've had them in sealed packets of rolled oats too.

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Geoff

As far as I know the eggs are already in the product when you buy it so it doesn't matter what container you use. I've had them in sealed packets of rolled oats too.

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Yeah I figured as much - but at least this way they won't spread so i won't have to throw all my flour out. One of the bags was very new.

I've seen creatures in rice too. I reckon age is a factor. The eggs must hatch after quite a while. MMmmm I can smell the brown rice in the rice cooker right now.

:eek:

Tell him roxy, tell him what a weevil is!!!!

I had them when I used to make my own bread. I've had some flour for nearly a year and I made - tried to make - a bannock the other day. I didn't see any beasties in the flour.

I've read that we have tiny insects in our eyelashes. Cheese often has mites in it.

I remember that my whole class at school had head lice during one term. My mother washed my hair in some black soap and wrapped my head in a towel. She repeated this two or three times.

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Gliondrach

I had them when I used to make my own bread. I've had some flour for nearly a year and I made - tried to make - a bannock the other day. I didn't see any beasties in the flour.

I've read that we have tiny insects in our eyelashes. Cheese often has mites in it.

I remember that my whole class at school had head lice during one term. My mother washed my hair in some black soap and wrapped my head in a towel. She repeated this two or three times.

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little creatures are freaking everywhere, on your body, in your body, on the carpet, in the water, in the air.

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Yoggy

Gee thanks Rob. I had never even HEARD of a flour weevil until I read this thread. Now I'm all paranoid about them, since I have about 4 different kinds of flour, and especially since I just used flour today :mad: . I think I'll get all my flour and put it in microwave containers right now. I don't want any little critters doing the backstroke OR crawl in my morning bran flakes!

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Same here!!! Ewwww, I feel a bit ill at the prospect.

I keep my flours, grains, meals and even sugar in the deepfreeze. Keeps the little buggers out nicely. :)

good trick!! only it keeps em in, they are in there already all along.

oooops:eek:

Presumably the eggs won't hatch in the deep freeze, though.

I'm not too bothered about them being there (excepting that I would rather not kill or eat them.) I read an article a while back on insect parts and eggs, and mouse fur and poo in foods (eg cereals, flours, herbs etc). In the US there are limits of how many bits of rubbish there is allowed to be in, for instance, a packet of cereal. I seem to remember something was allowed to be 50% insect debris, but I forget what it was:eek:.

Potentially more disturbing is that the UK has no such limits....

Chill out... they can't kill you - on the other hand, their lives are in our hands - I just tell them off and find them somewhere else to live!

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Barley

Chill out... they can't kill you - on the other hand, their lives are in our hands - I just tell them off and find them somewhere else to live!

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I am chilled and I know that they won't hurt me. I don't really want to bake them into a loaf, though ;)

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Rob(QG)

I am chilled and I know that they won't hurt me. I don't really want to bake them into a loaf, though ;)

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No... I know, me neither. If I think there are some in the flour I have found sieving usually saves them....:)

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Barley

No... I know, me neither. If I think there are some in the flour I have found sieving usually saves them....:)

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What you seive for the eggs, I've never seen any aren't they tiny weeny, liddle, widdle things. Have you a superfine sieve to do that.

Antony weevil

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adam antichrist

Tell him roxy, tell him what a weevil is!!!!

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ARE YOU SURE IT'S NOT A....................

BISCUIT WEEVIL!!!!!!!!!!!! :eek: :eek: :eek:

Rrrrrri Rrrrrrrri RRrrrrrri (Psycho stabbing music).

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abrennan

What you seive for the eggs, I've never seen any aren't they tiny weeny, liddle, widdle things. Have you a superfine sieve to do that.

Antony weevil

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Ahh eggs..... umm no, I was thinking of the actual weevils themselves. Oh dear, it's a problem. I suppose if one had to admit that one cannot do absolutely *every*thing vegan then there is probably no way of saving every weevil egg.... :rolleyes: sigh...

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Barley

Ahh eggs..... umm no, I was thinking of the actual weevils themselves. Oh dear, it's a problem. I suppose if one had to admit that one cannot do absolutely *every*thing vegan then there is probably no way of saving every weevil egg.... :rolleyes: sigh...

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I think it's a n importend thing to note. You just have to live your best most compassionate actions everyday.

Antony weevil:)

No matter how much we try Barley, we'll never be "perfect" vegans. We can only do the best we can.