[shelbel02]

I am not sure if this is the correct thread but when making dinner tonight i noticed bugs in my whole wheat pasta. I must have thrown out 25 boxes! I had it all stored in my pantry closet. How do you all store your pasta so you dont get thoses pesky little bugs? Any help would be appreciated.

[fairysaver]

I store mine in a rubbermaid watermelon storage container. Its huge and holds several boxes. Any tote will due or tupperware type thing that seals stuff out

[shelbel02]

Good idea. I guess I will need to invest in some and re-stock

[momabrown3]

If you freeze your pasta for 3-4 days before you put it on the shelve ,it will keep the bugs out.

[rhondag508]

ditto above post....I also freeze flour (and keep it in the freezer until the moment I use it.)

[batmansblonde]

Do you have birds?

[shelbel02]

Hmmm...no birds

[goc936]

I had the same Problem at least 25 or more boxes in the trash boo hoo

[crybaby]

it doesnt help to rubbermaid to protect LOL except from rodents and pantry bugs you already have in your home

the larva & eggs is inside with the pasta when you buy. dry pet food, hamburger helper, rice, flour etc.. The only way is like others suggested to freeze. Any grain product has potential to get critters over time as they get in there in the factory so you buy with the eggs already in there, when you boil or cook the product you kill that off. there is an actual FDA limit to how much bug they can have in the food
the aphids, thrips, and/or mites you can have in 100 grams of your frozen broccoli? Fifty-nine. in paprika- the average of more than 75 insect fragments per 25 grams

Macaroni and noodle products: Average of 225 insect fragments or more per 225 grams.

Mushrooms, canned and dried: Average of 20 or more maggots of any size or average of five maggots 2 millimeters or longer per 100 grams of drained mushrooms and proportionate liquid or 15 grams of dried mushrooms.

Defect Levels Handbook

[KayceK]

I put mine in the freezer, flour, cornmeal, sugar let set out a few hours before pouring up into containers... All pastas rice, etc. ad a few bay leafs to the tupperware or like containers bugs do not like bay leaf.

[shelbel02]

I will try the freezing next time also. Thanks for the idea. Threw all the pasta out lastnight now today will give the pantry a good cleaning and hope for the best next time

[2vette2camaro]

Diatomaceous earth- look into it. You can store all of your grains, flours, pastas, dogfood, etc with a little diatomaceous earth. Be sure and get the "Food grade" quality, not the pool grade. It is REALLY cheap- can get it as health food stores or at some farm stores.

I also drink it with a little water. It is supposed to pull toxins out of your body, etc.

It has over 3000 uses- it is a non-toxic pesticide- good for squash bugs, bed bugs, etc.

Read up on it. I am SO glad a organic friend told us about this. Then when I read it would make my hair grow (and I am ALL about that) I was hooked. Can't live without it!!!

[2vette2camaro]

Originally Posted by crybaby

it doesnt help to rubbermaid to protect LOL except from rodents and pantry bugs you already have in your home

the larva & eggs is inside with the pasta when you buy. dry pet food, hamburger helper, rice, flour etc.. The only way is like others suggested to freeze. Any grain product has potential to get critters over time as they get in there in the factory so you buy with the eggs already in there, when you boil or cook the product you kill that off. there is an actual FDA limit to how much bug they can have in the food
the aphids, thrips, and/or mites you can have in 100 grams of your frozen broccoli? Fifty-nine. in paprika- the average of more than 75 insect fragments per 25 grams

Macaroni and noodle products: Average of 225 insect fragments or more per 225 grams.

Mushrooms, canned and dried: Average of 20 or more maggots of any size or average of five maggots 2 millimeters or longer per 100 grams of drained mushrooms and proportionate liquid or 15 grams of dried mushrooms.

Defect Levels Handbook

She is right. A lot of people don't know the larvae is ALREADY in our food. Especially pastas and dog and cat food. If you don't use it fast enough- they hatch or if it gets too warm, they hatch. Kinda gross, but the truth.

[couponmargie41]

Do you know if diatomaceous earth works for flying pests? Every once in a while I get these lovely flying ones around my pasta, flour, etc. I have everything in bags, but after reading your posts, I now realize that is not a feasible solution for the long term.

[2vette2camaro]

You can keep your things in Rubbermaids or glass containers in your pantry, you just have to add the DE to it. And obviously you can eat in.

It mainly works with things that have an exoskeleton. I did TONS of research before eating it. You just can't breathe it.

[couponmargie41]

Thanks for all your research. For me, this seems like a great solution.

[batmansblonde]

I had these flying bugs that leave something that looks like spider webs in the dry foods. Once I got rid of the bird seed in my house, including the sunflower seeds, I never had them again.

[metalmama1]

Originally Posted by 2vette2camaro

Diatomaceous earth- look into it.

this stuff ROX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! kills everything with an exoskeleton by slashing it to ribbons so bleeds to death!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

know what kinda stuff has an exoskeleton???? BUGS!!!!!!!!!!

SUPER interesting what it is & how it works!!!! not going to go into that tho!! google it tho, dude!! seriously!!!! so freakin' cool you won't even believe it!!!!! (& dude!!! you can eat the food grade stuff & it wont hurt you!!!)

just wear a dust mask dude!!!!! your lungs don't have an exoskeleton, obviously ; but they can get slashed to ribbons & bleed too.... obviously not "to death" but.... everytime you work with the stuff, think of it as something with the potential to slash something to DEATH!!!! (not you; but BUGS, WOOOOOOO!!!!!)

& that's AWESOME!!! when it's bugs.... but not so cool if its you're eyes, lungs, etc (sorry; no offense!!!! i know you already knew that, but every time someone posts somehting i know they can hurt them (theoretically; in the abstract); , i'm a mom; what can i say ?

no offense!!!!!!

[mariecarol]

Originally Posted by crybaby

it doesnt help to rubbermaid to protect LOL except from rodents and pantry bugs you already have in your home

the larva & eggs is inside with the pasta when you buy. dry pet food, hamburger helper, rice, flour etc.. The only way is like others suggested to freeze. Any grain product has potential to get critters over time as they get in there in the factory so you buy with the eggs already in there, when you boil or cook the product you kill that off. there is an actual FDA limit to how much bug they can have in the food
the aphids, thrips, and/or mites you can have in 100 grams of your frozen broccoli? Fifty-nine. in paprika- the average of more than 75 insect fragments per 25 grams

Macaroni and noodle products: Average of 225 insect fragments or more per 225 grams.

Mushrooms, canned and dried: Average of 20 or more maggots of any size or average of five maggots 2 millimeters or longer per 100 grams of drained mushrooms and proportionate liquid or 15 grams of dried mushrooms.

Defect Levels Handbook

How do you store your stockpile of pasta? Thanks

[metalmama1]

Originally Posted by mariecarol

How do you store your stockpile of pasta? Thanks

FREEZER!!!! 24 hrs & it's like bug larvae & 'acceptable levels of contamination' have not been invented yet check it in 26 years; still good!!!

[goodshoppermom]

This is very helpful thanks guys! I have the same problem

[akkbrowns]

hey i got weebles last year not in my stockpile bc i didnt have one but i got them from a cereal n my pantry if you had numerous amount in your pasta then you have millions more i PROMISE i opened up every box of cereal,rice,cookies anything wheat or grain and they were inside of them only reason i found they spread was from the guy at the bug shop (you know the ones with the green letters hahaha and talking ant) ne way and he said if i seen a bug in my pantry then there was millions to follow because they cant multiply by the thousands in a hour it was bad we had to get rid of lots of stuff and he told me the same thing about freezing it but he said to always keep it frozen bc putting back on the shelves willcause moisture for that item and there will be more so i keep my flour,rice in the freezer at all times and all my cereal n past in plastic sealed containers i got at walmart but if you have a big lots that have sets which are way cheaper they have the large cereal ones that hold 3 12.5 oz of cereal in one and then the ones at walmart have the twist tops that you can fill with macaroni and noodles and cookies also he told me to spray my shelfs down and my cabinets bc they travel very fast so check all your baking stuff and other items in your kitchen good luck hun i am telling you i was in tears after this because i through out 13 trash bags full of stuff n we didnt have them long bc i was nesting and was ocd cleaning n they was not in there n then when i got back from the hospital 2 days later they were there ughhhh i am made typing this lil annoying WEEBLES...

[conniel18848]

I put moth cakes in my stockpile room and a couple of no pest strips never have a problem with bugs in there. Just those nasty fruit flies in my kitchen the no pest strips work there in winter but summers air conditioning they dont work. So i turned a spare room into my pantry room and keep the door closed and air off in summer.
And yes i have bought pastas and cooked them that night with wormy little bugs in them. My bird room with 50# bags of seeds no problem with the strips and they dont harm the birds.

[hotmama111]

I had a box with black bugs in it last year and I wound up opening up every single box in my stockpile and putting it in plastic bags so I could see thru the bags. There were some that had bugs in them that I couldn't see in the daytime (of rice) so I had to throw all of those out. There was a thread last year about ronzoni pasta having bugs in it. I started freezing all of my rice b/c the eggs are inside the rice and that is the only way to kill the eggs but I had no idea they lay eggs inside of pasta too.

http://www.afullcup.com/forums/kroge...full-bugs.html

I just found this on Livestrong:
"Place the [pasta/rice] containers in the freezer for at least a week. This will kill any eggs or larvae already in the rice. If you have a home infestation of rice weevil, simply leave the container in the freezer permanently. If your house is clean and you're just trying to prevent the bugs from hatching, remove the container after a week. The low temperature should have killed all the bugs." Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/47...#ixzz1aLdTdGrm

I guess that means the best time to stockpile is in the winter/dry/cold seasons!

[metalmama1]

Originally Posted by akkbrowns

and he told me the same thing about freezing it but he said to always keep it frozen bc putting back on the shelves willcause moisture for that item and there will be more

ok; that guy was trying to scare you.(I HATE/LOATHE/DETEST/DESPISE HI PRESSURE SALESMEN!!!!) ... 'moisture' wont cause bugs, 'bug eggs' will cause bugs. 24 hrs is enough to kill them!! weeks in the freezer isn't needed; 24 hrs is!!! (sorry; no offense!!! was he trying to get you to buy something from him?? sorry i'm so cynical!! but i mean... his logic is straight out of the 1700's 'cornfields beget mice'!!! 24 hrs is sufficient to kill anything cold blooded (like a bug or a bug egg) weeks is overkill & moisture .... begets mold

Originally Posted by conniel18848

Just those nasty fruit flies in my kitchen the no pest strips work there in winter but summers air conditioning they dont work.

dooode!!! this is a cheeep way to get rid of those fruit flies!!!! apple cider vinegar!! put it in a jar with a narrow lid- like a dish washing liquid deterg bottle.... something where they can fly in but not out of...

Fruit Fly Death Trap Hot Post from One Year Ago... | Apartment Therapy Re-Nest

there is a link with a picture; some people also say just mix apple cider vinegar with dish soap...... i dunno, i kinda like the physics behind the reverse cone, cuz so freakin' interesting how a population can be THAT stupid that they die!! (dude, seriously!! google it!!!! so cool!! i'm a bug sadist )


, it is so embarrassing that i know anything about bugs at all!!