You know what bugs me? Bugs.
Okay, I'm sorry for that lame intro, but it's all I had.
It's hard to be frugal and fabulous if you get creepy, crawlies in your stockpile. And I'm not talkin' 'bout the kind you need to go to your lady parts doctor for neither. I'm talkin' 'bout weevils and ants, and other grossness in your rice, flour, dried beans, and cereals. If you have to toss something because you lost it to bugs, you're failing at fabulous. Don't even get me started on how you're doing with frugal.
Moths, weevils, and beetles can infest the cleanest pantry. They aren't necessarily harmful, but who wants to eat anything once you've spotted something like that, right? This post is about getting rid of weevils, beetles, and moths that may come into your home as eggs in products purchased at the grocery store. I know. That's disgusting in every way. Here are some tips on how to keep those critters at bay, so you can keep saving that money and being super mega awesome fabulous.
Peace, B.
Okay, I'm sorry for that lame intro, but it's all I had.
It's hard to be frugal and fabulous if you get creepy, crawlies in your stockpile. And I'm not talkin' 'bout the kind you need to go to your lady parts doctor for neither. I'm talkin' 'bout weevils and ants, and other grossness in your rice, flour, dried beans, and cereals. If you have to toss something because you lost it to bugs, you're failing at fabulous. Don't even get me started on how you're doing with frugal.
Moths, weevils, and beetles can infest the cleanest pantry. They aren't necessarily harmful, but who wants to eat anything once you've spotted something like that, right? This post is about getting rid of weevils, beetles, and moths that may come into your home as eggs in products purchased at the grocery store. I know. That's disgusting in every way. Here are some tips on how to keep those critters at bay, so you can keep saving that money and being super mega awesome fabulous.
Peace, B.
Add a little dried hot pepper flakes to your containers of dried beans and peas. You'll stay weevil free.
Use a couple of whole nutmeg in your flour container or bag of rice to keep out the bugs.
Place a few dried bay leaves in your containers of cereal, rice, oatmeal, and flour. Critters can't stand 'em.
Not to gross you out, but most grains come to you with weevil eggs already in them. They hatch when they get warm, so the very best way to get rid of (and kill) these suckers is to freeze stuff for a day or two when it comes into your home.
Unwrapped, unchewed sticks of sugar free spearmint gum on the floor of your pantry can help keep bugs away.
What do you do if you already have an infestation?
Well, you could sort through a slight infestation and still use the food. Especially with beetles and weevils. With moths, there will be a silky film on the food. Not much you can do to get rid of that. If you're looking at a ton of these pests, then the only thing to do is toss everything in the pantry and clean, clean, clean. I mean, get your dang vacuum hose in their and suck up all the crumbs and use a good strong disinfectant while you're at it. If you bring these bugs home inside the product, there isn't much you can do to stave off the infestation except for what I've suggested above. Keeping everything in airtight containers or bags sure will help keep any contamination down to a minimum.
