Thanks to Carolyn, I’ve been wondering if the 50 pounds of flour sitting in my closet (still in its original thick paper bag) is really the best way to store it. Growing up, my mom had mentioned something about bugs in flour, but I’ve never seen them (or maybe never noticed them?) before.
Out of sight, out of mind, right?
Before I gross you out with pictures and making you think about cooked bugs in your morning breakfast bread (too late?), we’ll finish our cup of coffee over some warm up questions.
Does flour go bad?
The short answer: yes. Flour can go rancid (sour, stale, etc.).
The long answer: The more processed the flour is, the longer it takes to go bad. Freshly milled flour will sour much more quickly than all-purpose flour. This explains why those who bake with whole wheat flour often purchase the grain whole and mill it themselves just before use.
Where can we store it?
Going back to the level of processing, all-purpose and other non-whole grain flours can be stored in a cool, dry place without any issues for about one year. Whole grain flours should be kept in a refrigerator for the short term, or a freezer for long term.
How should we store it?
If the flour will be used fairly quickly, it can be left open or in a container with a lid. Think about local bakeries and delis – they’ll often have a bucket of flour open on the counter, or a lid may be slightly ajar. They will use a good bit of flour in a single day, so sealing it up tight isn’t an issue.
If the flour will be used within a month or two, it should be kept in a sealed container.
Oops.
But notice I said should, not must. One to two months is still considered “quick” in terms of flour usage. It’s possible to not keep your flour in a sealed container (and just roll down the bags like I do), but the chances of the flour going rancid increase.
If the flour will not be completely consumed within two months, it needs to be stored in a sealed container.
What type of storage container is best?
Depending on the quantity of flour on hand, buckets are available ranging from 1 gallon up to 10 gallon, with 5 gallon being the most common. You also want something that can be sealed. Some buckets come with lids, some don’t. Buckets and seal-able lids are cheapish. The average price for the full kit & kaboodle is $5.
Why are there bugs in my grain?
If you notice little brown bugs in your flour, cereal, grain or rice, those are called weevils. They resemble little grains of rice, but they’re brown and they move. On their own.
Ever notice your flour tangled in something that looks like a cobweb? That means your flour is infested too.
First you think the flour has spiders, then you’re told it’s beetles… sorry!
Have no fear – bugs don’t just suddenly appear in your flour one day because you forgot to mop some mysterious sticky substance that one of your children accidentally (or purposely) spilled in your pantry. If you see bugs, they were already there when you bought it.
Not reassuring, I know.
The female weevil lays eggs in the wheat kernel and it can sometimes survive the milling process. The eggs will hatch if they’re in warm or humid conditions, or have reached their maturity. The bugs eat the grain and then seek to mate… while eating more grain.
Why are there bugs in my boxed cereal?
Weevils aren’t particular about what they eat. If you find them in any other seemingly sealed spot, they’ve weaseled their way out of their original infestation spot and meandered to your rice, or cereal, or coffee.
Essentially, this means that you’ve already eaten (like your flour) was infested.
Weevil-infested bread, anyone? Yummy!
What can I do to prevent eating beetles?
First, get rid of the infested item. Remove everything from the area, vacuum out any cracks and sanitize the shelves with vinegar. Check areas regularly for re-infestation as it may take awhile to completely rid of all bugs and larvae.
Freeze newly purchased grains for at least three days to kill any eggs. Some sources recommend freezing for up to one week. (Note that freezing will kill the eggs, but not remove them.)
As a guideline, don’t buy more grain than you will use within four months. Store grain in a tightly sealed container – not a bag. Weevils are HUNGRY little devils and can eat through bags.
Finally, clean your storage area regularly.
Will eating beetles harm me?
Other than give you the heebie jeebies, they’re harmless. In fact, the heat from baking kills the eggs and any beetles that may have made their way into your batter. So while the chances of us having eaten weevils are high, the mortality rate is low.
Whew – at least there is good news today!! 
Share your experiences – has anyone had experience with grain bugs?
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Yep, once – in a box of pasta, and once in a bag of rice. Incidentally, I “store” my gi-normous bag of all purpose flour the same way you do, with the bag rolled down. I keep meaning to get a bucket for it. First, though, I take all I can out and store in sealed Tupperware in my baking cabinet. THEN the rest gets “stored” in the rolled down bag. Then I use the bag first, hopefully dimishing the possibility of it going bad (or getting buggy.)
I sure didn’t mean to make you wonder about your storage method. I’ll be keeping mine (25 pounds that I just bought) in some containers that my husband will be bringing me home from work. I don’t need a 2-year-old getting into the flour and making a mess. He did that last night!
My mom keeps a couple of bay leaves in her flour to keep the bugs from hatching. She doesn’t go through it as fast as I do and I have never seen any bugs in the flour. I’ll probably do that too, just to be on the safe side.
Oh, it’s a good worry Carolyn. Eating bugs isn’t exactly high on my to-do list! a 2yr old making a mess in the flour? No… never!
I read the bay leaf thing too, but wasn’t able to confirm it’s reliability. Great to know it works!
Oh no ! I’m paranoid now. You’ll probably have me inspect every bag of flour and rice from here on out.
I’ve seen people use those large plastic containers with a seal-able lid… may resort to that next : )
Haven’t had weevils for awhile, but the other day I made rice and there were three tiny bugs floating on top of the water. They were beetles of some kind. Dead. Kinda gross, but I tossed them and we ate the rice.
LOL – great minds think alike!!
Did you say coffee? Now THAT worries me! Not that I really want to be eating extra bug protein from my flour either.
Yes – coffee! Those bugs really don’t care what they eat. Nothing is safe!
I’m so glad you shared this information. I had some flour in a canister on my counter, and it had been there for a few months… and I was going to use it, until I saw little bugs moving around in it! I was so grossed out! So then I went to the pantry to get my new, unopened package of flour, and there were bugs in there, too! I threw it out as well and figure out something else to cook that didn’t require flour. My husband said, “Cooking it would kill the bugs. You could’ve still used it.” Ummm ewww! No! I was grossed out! lol
LOVE that your husband didn’t care about the bugs! That’s so funny!
I have had the weevils in the past, however one thing I am fighting now are pantry moths. I have read that they lay eggs in such places as behind the label on canned goods. I have tried everything mentioned to get rid of them, and yet they persist. I told dh that I was not going to toss my entire pantry full of food, but I know that if I could I would!
I thought of a bug bomb but there are not designed for small spaces. Grrrr….
I’ve heard those things are atrocious and stubborn! Are there natural remedies to rid them? Vinegar maybe? I know it repels ants.
Goodnesss, I forgot to add that I keep my flours in the freezer for several weeks to kill anything that may have tagged along unbeknownst to me. I also keep my coconut, almond and rice flours in the fridge in closed glass containers. I hate plastic!
Oh My. I’ve heard of these little bugs but have never seen them. Now I’m going to be on the lookout!!! Thanks for linking up at Tell Me Tuesdays!!
I don’t have a weevil problem but I do have the famous “pantry moth” which has, at one point, gotten into everything except my flour. The larvae are white worms that look like rice and they have been in my pasta, rice, spices. They bore right through plastic. Even the hard plastic containers! They love anything that has sugar or gluten in them. They turn into little moths. I’ve got them pretty much at bay but they are not totally gone. I know when they’ve gotten into something because there are those nasty webs everywhere. I’ve had to throw out so many things in my pantry. They even got into the peanut butter once.
You keeping 50 pounds of flour in anything but a sealed glass jar gives me the heebie geebies!! I just keep imagining what’s at the bottom of that bag!!!!
I’m working on a better solution, trust me. I’ve had a slight case of heebie jeebies too!
oh yeah … pantry moths. I’ve fought that battle on more than one occasion! Fortunately have not had the privilege to meet a weevil. Yet.
I quit eating grains. Not because of bugs, just because, and have since discovered I have a bit of gluten sensitivity. I got my daughter almost off grains but still working on hubby and son. Now if I can just get son and hubby to go “primal” then all my bugs in the pantry problems will be solved!
Interesting post. I found you through DIY Dreamer and hope you will come share at my weekly Blog Fest. Lisa/Fresh Eggs Daily.
I’ve had the cobwebby devils in my flour and cereal and almost everywhere. It took me years to get rid of them completely. Now I seal everything in glass jars with rubber seals and buy only small quantities. Found you at No Minimalist Here.
I read from somewhere that putting a bayleaf or two into the grains/flour will keep those bugs away so I’ve been putting some on mine and it works. Just thought I’d share that wee bit of info.
I think that’s one of the tips our grandmothers used to do before big glass jars were available at the home improvement stores, lol! Thanks for sharing Ron!
No weevils and never heard of pantry moths but definitely going to try the bay leaf thing and start some research because…. eeeew!
Thanks for sharing found you at Simple Life Thursday!
Here is an old trick my mom taught me and it works. For rice and grains, especially polenta. I put 2 bay leaves in with the grains when I store it. And I have never had bugs. Try it and see.
I swear by the bay leaves…I scatter them in my cupboards and in my fabric stash after finding the bigger black/brown beetles running amok. Got rid of them & haven’t has any problems for over 12 years!
Thanks for sharing the lowdown on grains this week on foodie friday.
Great Post! Have a fabulous weekend and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
Yikes. I have never actually seen them but I will definitely me more cautious.
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i had a weevil problem a while ago. I cleaned everything out and they went away for a while but they came back in a few weeks. I searched the web for solutions on how to get rid of them and came across a product called Weevil Away. They have these little adhesive sticky pads that have a natural/organic solution on them. They repel the weevils which sounded like a great idea to me. I’d rather repel them in the first place rather than wait for them to show up and then try to get rid of them. I stuck one in every one of my cupboards and hoped for the best. The smell is fantastic and it’s been almost a year and still no weevils. Love this stuff!
Nichole,
Awesome job finding a natural solution to the weevil problem – and even better is that it works! ~Tiffany
Im actually battling the brown/black flour beetles right now! Its been many weeks since I got some baking mix and they were in that. I didnt realize it so it sat in my pantry for a few weeks and suddenly i began to see the small beetles and occasionally the larvae in the kitchen area. I had no clue what they were and no idea what to do other than call pest control (live in an apartment). That didnt help. they would come, go, and come back again… eventually migraiting to the laundry area and occasionally elsewhere in the food hunt. The weird thing is just about everything we have is in glass or plastic jars, or in bags. Nothing is just out. Once I opened the mix and saw a dead moth fall out of the box and some larvea I knew I had a major issue. I tossed all my grains and restocked everything in jars. My food is clear yet I still see the freaking bugs every day or so in my pantry. I will have to try to bay leaves, I have no idea what else to do. Its driving me nuts even though I know our food is clean from being in jars and I know they dont hurt you. Still its GROSS
Lisa,
I think the bay leaves will help. Remember that every time you see a bug, there’s a chance that it’s left eggs somewhere you can’t see… which will only perpetuate the problem. I know it’s a pain, but perhaps cleaning out every single cupboard and pantry and wiping down all the shelves will help. Restock with bay leaves inside and out of the containers. Hang in there!! ~Tiffany