How To Get Rid Of Flour Bugs

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If you've opened your flour and found it crawling with small pests, you probably have weevils. Weevils are actually small, reddish-brown beetles that may be able to fly. Since weevils can lay a few eggs a day for months, you might be dealing with flour weevils for a while. Completely clean your pantry and store your flour in hard, airtight containers. It may take some time before you've removed all of the weevil eggs, but improving your pantry storage will stop weevils in their tracks.

1
Find the source of the weevils. Although pantry pests can fly, they usually like to stay near their food source. If you've noticed small reddish brown beetles, weevils, in your flour, they may also be in other foods in your pantry. You should also check for weevils near your pet's food dishes since this may be their source of food. Check for weevils in:^[1]
- Cereals and grains (oats, rice, quinoa, bran).
- Crackers.
- Spices and herbs .
- Dried pasta.
- Dried fruit.
- Chocolate, candy, and nuts.
- Dried peas or beans.
2
Discard any food that has weevils. Although you won't be able to see the eggs in pantry items, you will be able to see adult weevils. Check your flour and pantry products for them and if you find weevils, throw away the food. If you don't see weevils, you can store and use the flour or food.
- You shouldn't eat any food that could contain live weevils. If you've accidentally baked with flour containing weevils, you can eat the food because the weevils are dead.
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3
Vacuum and wash your pantry. Remove the food from your pantry shelves and use a vacuum attachment to suck up any loose bits of food or flour. Take a wash cloth dipped in soapy water and wash all of the shelves and anywhere that there may be spilled food. If you've found weevils in other rooms of your house, vacuum them up.^[2]
- Immediately empty the vacuum canister in your dumpster outside so the weevils don't stay in your kitchen trashcan.
- You won't need to use commercial insecticides for weevils or pantry moths if you clean your pantry and remove their food source.
4
Wipe your pantry shelves with white vinegar or eucalyptus oil. Once you've thoroughly cleaned your pantry shelves, wipe them with a liquid that weevils dislike. You can wipe a mixture of half water and half white vinegar or use eucalyptus oil. Just dilute the eucalyptus oil with a little water and spray it onto the shelves.^[3]
- You can also try neem, tee tree, or pine needle oils to prevent the weevils from getting into your pantry.
5
Place all of your foods in airtight, hard containers. Since weevils can eat through cardboard boxes or bags, you'll need to store your pantry foods in hard plastic containers or jars that are air-tight. If you've bought bakery mixes (like cake or muffin mixes), check these for weevils and transfer them to containers. You can color code or label your containers to make them easy to use.^[4]
- You may want to cut out any cooking instructions from cardboard packages for foods and store them in an organizer in your kitchen.
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1

Buy smaller amounts of flour. If you don't use very much flour, consider buying small amounts at a time. If you leave flour sitting around for a long period of time, weevils may be encouraged to lay their eggs in it. The faster you use your flour, the fresher it is, and the fewer the chances for infestation.
2

Freeze the flour. As soon as you bring flour home, seal it inside a freezer bag and put it in the freezer for at least 1 week. This will kill any eggs or weevils that are already in the flour. You can then take the flour out and store it in your pantry in an airtight, hard container or just keep it in the freezer until you need it.^[5]
3
Place a fresh bay leaf in the flour. Get out fresh bay leaves and put one in each container or bag of stored flour. Some people believe bay leaves can prevent weevil infestations. You'll need to replace the bay leaves every few months or when you can no longer smell them.
- You can find fresh bay leaves in the produce department near the other fresh herbs.
4
Use pheromone traps. You can buy small packages of weevil traps that use pheromones to attract the weevils and pantry moths. The traps have a sticky space that trap the pantry pests. Place a few of these around your pantry and change them once they're full.
- If you are overwhelmed by a huge infestation of weevils (for example, thousands are crawling all over your floors and walls), you may want to contact a pest control professional.
5
Check your pantry for weevils on a regular basis. You should check your pantry every month or two for weevils. This is especially important because adult weevils can live at least a year. Remember to thoroughly clean out hard-to-reach parts of your pantry where weevils might start thriving.^[6]
- This is a good chance to wash down the pantry shelves again. Keeping a clean pantry will prevent flour weevils from coming back.
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Do not throw contaminated food away in your kitchen. Take it to the outside dumpster to prevent the weevils from re-infesting your pantry.
If you have contact paper lining your cupboards, remove it before you clean the cupboards since weevils can hide underneath it.
If you've just purchased the flour that you found weevils in, consider sealing the bag in an airtight container and returning it to the store where you bought it.

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Things You'll Need

Hard, airtight containers
Vacuum
Cloth
Dish soap
Eucalyptus oil or vinegar
Plastic freezer bags
Bay leaves

About This Article

Article SummaryX

To get rid of weevils, or flour bugs, first toss out any infested food in your pantry. It's also a good idea to discard any unsealed dry goods, like rice, flour, pasta, and oats, just to be safe. Next, remove everything else from the pantry and thoroughly vacuum the shelves. Empty the vacuum outside and wipe it down with a disinfectant in case it's carrying any bugs. Then, wipe down all the pantry surfaces with hot, soapy water or white vinegar. To prevent future infestations, store your dry goods in sealed plastic or glass containers so weevils can't get to them. Alternatively, you can store your dried goods in the freezer for four days after bringing them home to kill any weevils that might be inside. Placing fresh bay leaves in containers of dry goods may also deter weevils. Change out the bay leaves every couple of months. To learn about other prevention techniques, read on!

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