jonesloonybin Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 I knew this could happen, but it has never happened to us before. We had a couple bags of rice (not long..not even a month) and they ALL have bugs in them. Even the ones in ziploc bags. How do we stop this? Is there a better way to store rice? What about the vacuum seal bags? Or no bags at all. Were the bugs already there? :ack2: (or did they get in later?? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibrarianMom Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 It's happened to me before as well. I have found the only solution is to pretty much toss everything in your cupboards because they will be infected. It's very painful. At times, I've opened everything and then tossed what was obviously infested and put everything else in ziploc bags, but it sounds like you are already using ziplocs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PiCO Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 I knew this could happen, but it has never happened to us before. We had a couple bags of rice (not long..not even a month) and they ALL have bugs in them. Even the ones in ziploc bags. How do we stop this? Is there a better way to store rice? What about the vacuum seal bags? Or no bags at all. Were the bugs already there? :ack2: (or did they get in later?? Thanks! Well, the bugs will die when you put them in boiling water. Adds a little protein to the rice, no? ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gretchen in NJ Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 I am sorry this happened to you. I keep my rice in the freezer. Every now and again, I place fresh bay leaves on my food shelves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gretchen in NJ Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 Well, the bugs will die when you put them in boiling water. Adds a little protein to the rice, no? ;) :lol::lol::lol:Yucky!:lol::lol::lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonesloonybin Posted June 23, 2009 Author Share Posted June 23, 2009 Most things in that pantry are canned goods or in glass/plastic containers. But there are juice boxes in there. Are they safe? That is pretty heavy duty cardboard. Or should they be thrown away too? I guess I could open a few and pour them out to check. WHAT DO I DO! :confused: We do have a bag of sugar and white flour in there that will have to go too. We usually use WW (but that is in a big plastic container. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
specialmama Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 ewwww.... I opened a pouch of Lipton Chicken Noodle soup a few years ago and there were dozens of red things in it. It was factory sealed. They were little worms. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonesloonybin Posted June 23, 2009 Author Share Posted June 23, 2009 I am sorry this happened to you. I keep my rice in the freezer. Every now and again, I place fresh bay leaves on my food shelves. Do the bay leaves help keep creepy crawlies away?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 Toss anything obviously infected. Get a jumbo pack of cheap spearmint gum, and put the sticks of gum all around in the pantry. My mom taught me this trick when it happened to me about 5 years ago. It'll keep the little buggers from spreading to anything else. The other thing to do is, from now on, whenever you get new dry goods (flour, rice, etc.), stick them in the freezer in a ziplock bag. Freezing kills any unhatched eggs of the types of crawlies that wind up in dry food, so after that you can store things in your cupboards again. Though again, in plastic, glass, or stoneware jars is a good idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 Every now and again, I place fresh bay leaves on my food shelves. :lol: I laugh. HA! They are probably weevils. Those little... <ok we all know the word I'm not typing > can chew through ziplock bags (but not hard plastic containers). The eggs were likely in the rice when you got it. The little <that word again> can hide under labels on cans. They attacked a couple bags of organic cake mix I had bought and the paper looked like it had been shot. I battled them from the summer we moved in (and brought them in with some ramen noodles) until we ripped out the kitchen last year, nine years later. And, when I ripped out the "problem cabinet" the little... <that word again> were sitting on TOP of bay leaves I had scattered around, like they were riding a Mardi Gras float. :glare: Freezing the dry goods kills the eggs, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonesloonybin Posted June 23, 2009 Author Share Posted June 23, 2009 ok...gross! Now I will think of all those egg things everytime I use any rice from the freezer. What if you freeze it for a few days-week then put it in a strainer then into a hard plastic/glass container?? This pantry is a stand alone 5 shelf with doors from Target. If I take everything out and scrub with bleach or something, can I use it again?? For boxed things? Or nothing but hard plastic/glass? I guess the juice boxes are goners. Could they spread across the room to the other cabinets? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 The juice boxes should be fine. And yes, clean out the shelves, put out spearmint gum, and you should be able to put stuff back, no problem. Just stick with plastic/glass/stoneware containers for any dry goods, and yes, freezing them for 3days-week then putting them back in the cupboard is fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in KY Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 You're probably going to be grossed out by this, but when we were in Africa, we'd go ahead and boil the rice or pasta or what-have-you. The bugs will float to the top, just skim 'em off and be done with them. In the USA this is generally frowned upon, but the truth of the matter is that you can't just go replacing your whole cupboard when you live three hours to the nearest grocery store! There's a funny joke about missionaries and bugs: The first year, the missionary looks in the bowl and sees the bug and says, "Yuck! A bug in my soup!" He throws out the soup. The second year, the missionary looks in the bowl and sees the bug. He fishes it out and eats the soup. The third year, the missionary looks in bowl, sees the bug and eats it along with the soup. The fourth year, the missionary looks in the bowl and says, "Hey! Where's my bug?" :lol::lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 Rice, depending upon where you buy it, can come with bugs. This is why asians and islanders "rinse" their rice before cooking it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 I had this problem several years ago. The exterminator told me that if they were moths, they were India moths and can be difficult to get rid of. They often start out in pet food. We had bought a bag of dog bones that had a bit of spider web looking stuff in it (not much, smaller than one bone) and din't think anything about it. Apparently this webby stuff is the egg home or droppings of the India moth according to the exterminator. At least I think that is the name he used. Once they hatch, they can fly and lay eggs every where. They eat thru paper, plastic, and thin cardboard to essentially start the whole process all over again. Until we had gone a couple of weeks without seeing a moth, I kept everything in the freezer or in plastic tubs well sealed. If you don't freeze and seal everything until they are gone, they wil just stay around. To get rid of them you do have to throw out anything that has been opened. He also sprayed something chemical after we did that but it isn't always necessary. Since then I have been very careful about what I buy. If the bag is clear, I look for signs of infestation before I buy. If I see moths or any flying bugs at a store I will not purchase from there. I have stopped buying pet food from our local WalMart and one local shop because every time I go in the pet area there are small moths fluttering around. I have not had a problem since but only because I have been very careful. I no longer freeze or store my food in tubs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
battlemaiden Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 You're probably going to be grossed out by this, but when we were in Africa, we'd go ahead and boil the rice or pasta or what-have-you. The bugs will float to the top, just skim 'em off and be done with them. In the USA this is generally frowned upon, but the truth of the matter is that you can't just go replacing your whole cupboard when you live three hours to the nearest grocery store! There's a funny joke about missionaries and bugs: The first year, the missionary looks in the bowl and sees the bug and says, "Yuck! A bug in my soup!" He throws out the soup. The second year, the missionary looks in the bowl and sees the bug. He fishes it out and eats the soup. The third year, the missionary looks in bowl, sees the bug and eats it along with the soup. The fourth year, the missionary looks in the bowl and says, "Hey! Where's my bug?" :lol::lol: :D I believe this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katiebug_1976 Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 (edited) Put a couple of whole bay leaves in your rice or whatever grain/flour you are storing. Bugs hate bay leaves. My mom did this, and we never had any bugs in anything. Edited June 24, 2009 by Katiebug_1976 oops Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in CA Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 I had this problem several years ago. The exterminator told me that if they were moths, they were India moths and can be difficult to get rid of. They often start out in pet food. We had bought a bag of dog bones that had a bit of spider web looking stuff in it (not much, smaller than one bone) and din't think anything about it. Apparently this webby stuff is the egg home or droppings of the India moth according to the exterminator. At least I think that is the name he used. Once they hatch, they can fly and lay eggs every where. They eat thru paper, plastic, and thin cardboard to essentially start the whole process all over again. Until we had gone a couple of weeks without seeing a moth, I kept everything in the freezer or in plastic tubs well sealed. If you don't freeze and seal everything until they are gone, they wil just stay around. To get rid of them you do have to throw out anything that has been opened. He also sprayed something chemical after we did that but it isn't always necessary. Since then I have been very careful about what I buy. If the bag is clear, I look for signs of infestation before I buy. If I see moths or any flying bugs at a store I will not purchase from there. I have stopped buying pet food from our local WalMart and one local shop because every time I go in the pet area there are small moths fluttering around. I have not had a problem since but only because I have been very careful. I no longer freeze or store my food in tubs. Ugh!! We have been dealing with this! I purchased some organic rice in bulk and somehow ended up with moths...moths EVERYWHERE! They then lay eggs that somehow turn into small worms, and then hatch into new moths. It's extrememly frustrating! I thought I had it all cleaned up and taken care of, but lately I have seen a few moths here and there so now I think it's starting all over again. I don't want to throw out a cupboard full of food AGAIN. I bought some bug spray and zap any moth I see...but I think they are going to get the best of me again. How do you get rid of them completely?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hi_itsgwen Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 Freeze anything in the cupboard that is a starch (rice, flour, pasta, cornmeal, potato flakes, cereal, etc.) The bugs/larvea eat packaging, because the glues and carboard/paper have starches in them. Once you get the cupboard cleaned out, vacuum out the cupboard and throw away the vacuum bag, and you should be good to go. Buggies and their eggs usually can't last more than 24 hours at freezing temperatures, so a couple of days in the freezer should do it. The herbs (spearmint, bay leaves) should be fresher, and have lots of scent to them. They don't kill the bugs, but they do discourage migration into other areas of the pantry. There are lots of plants that discourage pests through scents...wormwood and sassafrass have historically been used as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 My mother always told me to freeze grains, beans, & flours for at least 24 hours bfore storing elsewhere. This means I have eaten much larve and such. :001_huh: But freezing does kill whatever is in there. The dead cannot reproduce. Ick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 We had some--from one brand of rice in particular, I fought them, then got new ones next time I bought that brand. I don't even remember the brand, but it's what's cheapest at the commissary, I always buy expensive rice now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 I try to keep flours in the fridge, though we have a grain grinder now so I'm gradually decreasing my supply. If I get moths in the grains, I just wash and dry them. It sure is annoying. Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SquirrellyMama Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 Well, the bugs will die when you put them in boiling water. Adds a little protein to the rice, no? ;) You sound like my grandmother. When we would find bugs in the bread she would say "eat it, it's just a bug, more protein". And she WASN'T kidding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soph the vet Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 I had something like this happen with Ortega taco shells. The box was half used and open and little tiny yellow (like the color of the shells) bugs were crawling all over and then they got into the Club crackers!! I no longer put anything in cardboard back on the pantry shelf without being in a ziplock and I don't buy those shells anymore!! What were those?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 Ugh!! We have been dealing with this! I purchased some organic rice in bulk and somehow ended up with moths...moths EVERYWHERE! They then lay eggs that somehow turn into small worms, and then hatch into new moths. It's extrememly frustrating! I thought I had it all cleaned up and taken care of, but lately I have seen a few moths here and there so now I think it's starting all over again. I don't want to throw out a cupboard full of food AGAIN. I bought some bug spray and zap any moth I see...but I think they are going to get the best of me again. How do you get rid of them completely?? That is part of the reason we called the exterminator, we found it almost impossible to get rid of them. I can't remember if he used a spray or a powder to kill them. In the meantime, for a long time, you have to keep foods they can get into out of the pantry. I put everything except can goods in the freezer, in plastic tubs, in jars, and so on until we got rid of them. I also threw out everythign I knew was infected. But, before I threw it out, I also sealed it up so they wouldn't come back in the house on their own on trash day. Even now I am so careful and it has been 10 years and 3 houses later. I don't always freeze mine first like others, but I do inspect packages before I open. If I see those webby things, or small holes and debris (you know what I am talking about), I just refuse to buy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.