joannqn Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 I went to the cupboard where I keep the packages that aren't open yet or don't have a Tupperware home, grabbed the new bag of flour, and saw two tiny bugs crawling around the top of the bag. I opened the bag and found tons more. I put the bag in a grocery bag and took everything out to the outside dumpster. I still need to go through the rest of that cupboard and clean it out. I think my other pantry is fine since everything is in Tupperware. They were about the size of a period and off-white, yellowish? What were they? And how hard are they going to be go get rid of? I've never had pantry bugs before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TammyS Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 Probably moth larvae. They were probably already in your flour when you got it. I wouldn't worry too much, just check anything not sealed. They don't really infest homes, just get into open foods if able. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 These are common in just about everything. I put my flours, grains etc in the freezer for a couple of days after purchase. That kills what you can't see. Mmmmm, protein. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne_in_TX Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 I was going to say moth larvae as well. The only other pantry bugs that I've seen are what my grandmother called weevils. They're brownish-black after they hatch out and they leave a little "skin" behind. With either one you just need to check all of your unsealed dry goods and may want to wipe the shelves down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted October 12, 2012 Author Share Posted October 12, 2012 I think they are flour mites. They look like this picture. Now to find out how to get rid of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanvan Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 Well, those I haven't seen before. They're so white I would think it would be hard to spot them in flour......but I'll be examining mine carefully from now on. I've had moth larvae, sawtooth grain beetles, weevils, and some weird tiny bugs on potatoes in the past, but I've never seen these....ick! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gisel_le Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 WARNING: Don't read this thread while eating breakfast. Gag!:ack2: Seriously, hope you figure it out and none of your other food is infested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6packofun Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 Well...they can become pretty pervasive in my experience. (right now! lol) Pantry moths are a pain to get rid of. The larvae can be found in the *closed* end of bread bags (can't get in to the bread so in the plastic near it is good enough!), under the TINY spaces between lids--even airtight ones--and the container, and in any crack of cereal boxes, etc. You can't put ALL of that stuff in the freezer! They don't just hang out in the kitchen, either. We see them occasionally in every room on our main floor and have found larvae in bookshelves. :glare: There are pantry moth traps that have a small pheromone square on a sticky cardboard trap that actually work very well. Of course, they catch all the male moths so that there isn't any reproducing, but eggs/larvae are still left behind so you need to keep the traps going for a while. I was surprised at how many moths the traps caught! (Btw, I believe I just read recently that freezing is not a sure kill method, either. Ugh.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 I am amazed that these things can get into an unopened screw-top jar of rice.... I have heard that bay leaves repel flour moths. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chepyl Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 Put everything grain based or with sugar in it in the freezer for 24-48 hours. In that time, clean all cabinets. When you put things back they need to be in tupperware or freezer bags. Check everything as you open it. You may have to throw out infested food, but the bugs will ne dead after their time in he freezer. We had to do this many times when we lived in MO! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 I don't think I've ever seen such bugs. I really don't like thinking about it. Even if you're a vegetarian, you're not. <squick> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted October 12, 2012 Author Share Posted October 12, 2012 Well, those I haven't seen before. They're so white I would think it would be hard to spot them in flour......but I'll be examining mine carefully from now on. I've had moth larvae, sawtooth grain beetles, weevils, and some weird tiny bugs on potatoes in the past, but I've never seen these....ick! I'm not 100% sure that they are mites but they really were smaller than a pinhead. And they were more of an off white so they stood out. I took the bag of flour out of the cabinet and saw two of them crawling on top of the bag. I opened the bag and saw tons more inside. Fortunately, most of my staples are in Tupperware. Next to the Tupperware cabinet (it is literally the after picture in a Tupperware catalog) is the infested cabinet. That cabinet holds the overflow and those things I don't have Tupperware for. The bag of flour was a new unopened one. I had a bag of whole wheat flour that I just bought, that I think is ok (its in the freezer now) and some brown sugar and powdered sugar that are also in the freezer. I found some bugs in baker's sugar and an unopened canister of oatmeal I didn't know I had. I could see the bugs crawling up under the plastic seal. It looked like they could probably get inside so I tossed that too. I'm in the process of bleaching the whole kitchen but I think it was a recent infestation. The bugs were only visible in three things that were sitting right next to each other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sun Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 I've read that the best practice is to put all grains in the freezer for 48 hours, bring them out for a week, and then put them back in for 48 hours more. The first freeze kills off any live bugs, the week out lets any eggs hatch but doesn't give time to lay new ones, and the second freeze kills the newly hatched ones off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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