Those effing little bugs that get into your food cupboards -

[Madrone]

What the hell ARE they? Where the hell do they COME from? And most importantly - how the hell do you keep them from moving IN?

I'm going thru a cupboard in my house - blech! Throwing away flour, spices in plastic bags, wild rice mixes in boxes, etc etc - little wormy/centipede looking bugs crawling around, the dry crusty shed off exoskeletons of more - and what look like little larvae hanging out in hollowed out spaces right next to the inside of the plastic of some of my spices.

GROSS!!

I've dealt with them before, over the years. I don't want to deal with them AGAIN. I want them to go away. Any suggestions? WTF are these things anyway?

[Red State Rebel]

1. Flour mites....

I've always heard the best way to keep them out is to put your flour, etc. in ziplock bags or in the freezer. They are a pain!!

[Lars39]

2. Might be better in the long run to throw everything out.

Try not to keep anything in boxes, use tupperware. I've heard bay leaves help, but I've never tried 'em.

[eyesroll]

3. Keep everything stored in air-tight containers

Get flour-moth traps. They can be found at some kitchen/cooking stores, but also at pet stores that specialize in birds -- flour moths love bird food.

They're glue traps, but you can release your dog/cat/self from them with vegetable oil (I believe).

[Cadfael]

5. Gardens Alive! sells the traps

along with lures to lure the buggers in...works really well. Under "pest controls" - "cupboard moth trap"
http://www.gardensalive.com/item_display.asp?ProductNumber=8909&PROG_NBR=11

[amazona]

4. are you talking about the little weavils?

The ones that come in a bag of cornmeal 99 percent of the time and then spread to the flour and sometimes other dry ingredients?

They are harmless and probably good protein.

However, since most of us do not care to consume them, the best way is to put your cornmeal in a tupperware and freeze it for at least 24 hours when you first get it home. Before you buy any new cornmeal, flour, etc. you usually have to throw away EVERYTHING that could contain the little weavils.

DOn't forget your red pepper, chili powder, paprika -- weevils like these spices. I keep mine in the fridge. "Green" herbs and spices like basil etc. don't seem to interest weavils, just the red spices.

Little flour larva/moths often come in bags of birdseed. Same as with cornmeal -- always freeze new-bought birdseed at least 24 hours after bringing it home.

[mlawson]

6. India moths?? That is what I get.

I have to keep cornmeal and similar grains in the freezer. They even ruin my dried chiles!! Is NOTHING sacred???

[SOteric]

7. Where are you located? The bugs are different in different

regions.

[Timefortruth]

8. Around here they come in with rice.

I now never put any grain up unless it is in a sealed container, and the only time I have found them in those containers is in the rice.

It is more expensive to buy only what we will use shortly but on this it is worth the expense.

[rbnyc]

9. We had those.

We threw away everything. We cleaned the cupboards. We lined the cupboards with boric acid and left it for a day. We cleaned the cupboards again. We put down new contact paper. We keep everything in air-tight glass containers now. No matter what kind of packaging something comes in, besides a can, it does not go into a cupboard until it goes in an air-tight glass container.

[kayleybeth]

10. Sounds like moth larvae

Keep everything sealed in airtight bins or store in the refrigerator. The moths are really hard to get rid of once they get a foothold. We have our house sprayed once a month and they still manage to come back from time to time if we forget to seal something.

[qanda]

11. On the other hand...

Check out this link:

Bugs in your cupboard

http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extpubs/yf/home/e300w.htm

It may help you identify what type of bug it is.

[Maddy McCall]

12. Undoubtfully they are weevils...

They form in whole grains like rice...they are there when you buy the rice and then they move out and infest other grain-based foods like flour.

I store my rice in a sealed glass container after I had an outbreak once, and have had no problems since.

Here is a webpage that gives more info on identifying weevils and getting rid of them:

http://www.pestproducts.com/weevils.htm