How to get rid of bugs in flour and cereals? This question worries many housewives, because household pests can appear in any home! We know how to deal with this scourge, and we will be happy to share this knowledge with you!

The following pests can appear in the kitchen:

• Bread borer - small (length - 3 mm) light brown insects. They are attracted to book bindings, crushed grain mixtures, coffee, dried herbs, tea, animal feed and dried bakery products (crackers, crackers, cookies, biscuits). The bread grinder flies well - it can fly into a window, guided by the light. But most often, bugs enter the house along with store-bought food and animal feed;

• Weevils are small dark brown or black bugs with a long proboscis. At favorable conditions They produce offspring up to 6 times a year. Most often they can be seen in packages with buckwheat, pasta, rice, flour and legumes;

• Flour bug– a small insect (length – 4 mm) with a red-brown body. These pests are brought into the house along with flour and starch. The flour bug easily penetrates into any container. They happily live in all types of flour, buckwheat, rice, semolina, dried fruits, and rolled oats. These insects reproduce incredibly quickly. Eggs are laid not only in food, but also in the crevices of furniture, as well as in home textiles. Hatched individuals are able to crawl throughout the house in search of food;

• food moth– an adult resembles a gray butterfly with a body 10 mm long. The reason for its appearance is inadequate processing and storage of food products. Moths can also fly into the kitchen through open windows. Most often it settles in packages of tea, pasta, cocoa and dried fruits. Infected products are covered with a thin cobweb, yellow worms appear in them;

• Red flour beetles are miniature bugs (length - 2.5 mm), the source of infection of which is low-quality grain food for pets. It is a frequent inhabitant of bakeries, mills, and factories. They like to eat grains, cereals and spoiled flour with a moisture content of more than 15%. Unable to find suitable food, the red mucous eater dies.

These photos will help you recognize these bugs.

Attention! If there is a strong infestation of bugs, the nutritional value of the food is reduced to zero. Together with insects, bacteria settle in them, which can lead to allergies and food poisoning.

How to kill kitchen bugs

Method 1. Hot processing

To get rid of bugs and larvae in the cereal, you need to fry it in the oven - the insects will die immediately

Method 2. Freezing

Freezing food for 24 hours will also help kill the bugs.

Method 3. Soaking

The easiest way to remove bugs is from beans and peas. They need to be filled with salt water for half an hour. As soon as the insects float to the surface, the liquid is drained and the fruits are thoroughly dried on a dry and clean towel.

Method 4. Light warming

With flour the situation is a little different. Experts recommend sifting it through a special sieve with very fine holes, and then heating it in an oven set at 50 degrees.

How to remove insects from kitchen furniture?

If there are bugs not only in food, but also in furniture in the kitchen, you need to urgently take measures that will allow you to get rid of not only adult individuals, but also larvae and clutches of eggs.

Step 1. Empty all cabinets of boxes and bags of cereals.

Step 3. Wipe the surfaces with water and vinegar (1 tbsp per 1 liter of water).

Step 4. All holes and cracks must be filled with boiling water.

Step 5. Wash jars for storing flour and cereals with soap and rinse with very hot water.

Step 6. Wash textile bags in saline solution and dry without rinsing. After this treatment, the bugs will no longer be able to lay eggs.

Step 7. Pyrethrum (Persian chamomile powder), a natural insecticide that allows you to fight household pests without harming your own health, will also help remove insects. It is scattered inside cabinets or poured into fabric bags. Repeat treatment once every 1.5 weeks.

Step 8. You can use bait to lure kitchen bugs out of secluded crevices. There are several recipes for their preparation.

Recipe 1. Mix powdered sugar, borax and fine grains. Place a small amount of the mixture on sheets of paper and place them around the kitchen.

Recipe 2. Combine powdered sugar with borax and millet, crushed in a coffee grinder (take everything in equal quantities). Roll small balls, dry them slightly and place them in cabinets.

Recipe 3. Mix sugar, borax and dry yeast. Pour the mixture onto pieces of paper and place on the shelf.

Step 9 By the best means from food moths are lavender and wormwood. You can use both the plant itself and essential oil. In the first case, small bouquets are made from fresh or dried branches, in the second - essential oil soak a piece of cotton wool. Anti-bug esters also include basil, geranium, cloves, fir and rosemary.

Step 10. Most bugs are afraid sunlight. When you come home from the store, pour the cereal into glass jars without lids and place them on the windowsill.

To prevent pests from appearing in the future, take care of the following prevention measures:

• Regularly wash the inside of cabinets and all kitchen utensils;
• It is best to use airtight containers to store food. These can be tightly tied linen bags, glass jars or metal boxes;

Glass jars with tight lids - perfect place for storing cereals, since bugs do not like light

• Do not forget to periodically check stocks of flour products, starch, cereals and flour for the presence of pests;
• Kitchen pests cannot tolerate strong aromas. Scatter garlic, lemon peels, nutmeg, red pepper pods, bay leaves or walnuts in the corners of the washed cabinets;
• Place only purchased cereals in a freezer or warm in the oven. Under the influence of temperatures, eggs and larvae die;

• Dried fruits and nuts should be stored on refrigerator shelves;
• Ventilate regularly kitchen area– most insects cannot stand fresh air;
• If you notice bugs, eggs or larvae in the cereals you purchased, throw your purchase in the trash. Refuse products at a reduced cost - they are fraught with potential danger;
• Cover the ventilation with a fine mesh;
• How to store flour to prevent bugs from getting in? Place a few cloves of garlic in the bag. They do not affect the taste of flour in any way;

• Scientists have proven that kitchen pests are afraid of metal. Place a teaspoon, a couple of nails or a piece of foil in the jar.

Is it possible to eat foods that have insects in them?

Is it possible to use flour with bugs? Let us repeat once again - products can only be used if there is minor contamination. In all other cases, it is better to throw them away - such food will not benefit your body!

Every thrifty and clean housewife may one day find uninvited “guests” in her kitchen in spices, cereals and other bulk items. Bugs can become a real disaster that destroys food supplies. Therefore, it is necessary to arm yourself effective recommendations and tips to quickly and permanently get rid of pests.

Reasons for appearance

Unpleasant insects appear on kitchen shelves quite quickly and multiply just as quickly, regardless of the amount of cereals stored. When pests are first detected, it is necessary to quickly take measures to destroy uninvited “guests”.

The most common way bugs get into food supplies is by purchasing food that has already been infested by these insects. Only such a winged pest as a moth can penetrate a home on its own.

Therefore, before purchasing cereals that are sold in transparent packaging, you should carefully study its contents.

As a rule, conscientious manufacturers, before packaging their products, treat bulk products with special compounds that destroy pests, if any. But not every company carries out a similar procedure with the product, due to which the products appear on store shelves along with insects. The risk of purchasing such flour, pasta or cereal increases many times over if the product is purchased in supermarkets or markets by weight.

This is due to the fact that contamination of products can occur from various goods, for example, from dried fruits or dried mushrooms lying nearby. IN separate category Spices that are at risk are not in the original packaging, but those purchased from private manufacturers, where sanitary and hygienic standards during production leave much to be desired. Opened packets of supplements that have been in the drawer for quite a long time are at risk of being attacked by harmful insects.

Another option for bugs to enter a home is ventilation holes, hoods, as well as even minimal cracks in walls and floors, through which small bugs can easily enter the house from neighbors.

In order to promptly determine the presence of pests in products, you should pay attention to the following signs indicating the presence of beetles:

• the presence of visually distinguishable lumps in the package of cereals;
• stirring in a bag of pasta, porridge or flour;
• presence of small holes on the packaging;
• deformation of grains - holes appear on the grain;
• living pests may be indicated by a specific brown coating on cereals and other bulk products;
• the presence of long cobwebs in cereals and bulk cereals;
• When examining a package of cereals, you can see grains at the bottom that have turned into flour.

If at least one of the signs discussed above is detected, you should immediately establish the type dangerous insect and take measures to destroy it.

Types of pests with names

Obviously, bugs appear only in places where there is access to food. Moreover, not only porridge in packages or bags, but also minimal remnants of cereals, spices or flour on the shelves can become a bait for them.

However, cereals, seasonings and pasta harbor not only creeping pests, but also flying ones. This applies to food moths. In addition to the usual cereals, these bugs do not disdain crackers, bread and sugar; in some cases, the uninvited “guest” can even be found in instant cocoa or coffee.

The number of insects dangerous to humans is increasing rapidly, and at the same time the level of damage to food products is growing. However, in order to remove the bugs forever, it is necessary to clearly determine its type, and based on this, select the appropriate means to combat it. To establish the type of pest, it is necessary to study the main ones. As a rule, kitchen shelves with supplies are dominated by bread grinders, food moths, red flour beetles and flour bugs.

The first variety has wings; usually the insects are very small and light in color. In most cases, they are found in baked goods, but can exist and reproduce in dry herbs, drinks and cereals. If a bread borer was discovered, we can safely say that they were infested due to the purchase of low-quality products; sometimes the pest enters the house in loose pet food.

Bread grinder

Based on the name, you can guess that the flour bug, as a rule, lives in flour, but it happens that the insect chooses a pack of starch as its habitat. Infection of products occurs through the penetration of insects into packaging from other bulk products standing on a shelf at home or on the counter in a supermarket. It could be semolina oatmeal or any type of flour. Sometimes the bug settles in buckwheat or dried fruits. Female insects prefer to lay their eggs in the cracks of furniture or in the cereals themselves, so the spread of pests occurs very quickly.

The red flour beetle is a small bug that ends up in the home if low-quality loose food has been purchased for feeding cats or dogs. Gradually it settles in cereals or flour. Insects love spoiled foods, so they actively reproduce in bulk foods that are stored in improper conditions.

Flour bug

Red mukoed

The food moth looks like a gray butterfly; as an adult, the insect can have a body length of about 10 centimeters. The pest lives in buckwheat, semolina, flour and rice. Such pests appear in the kitchen due to gross violations of food storage requirements.

Without difficulty, moths can enter a home through ventilation or even opening windows and vents.

food moth

Methods of disposal

Today there are quite a lot effective options, allowing you to deal with uninvited “guests” in kitchen cabinets, so every housewife who is faced with a similar problem can choose the most successful method for herself. Of course, timely detection of insects in cereals increases the chances of a positive outcome. In addition, it is important to exterminate pests not only in the packages of grains and cereals, spices and flour, but also to treat furniture and nooks where pests could lay eggs.

First of all you need to remove all supplies from the cabinets and carefully examine the contents. This will help identify the main location of accumulation - the source of infection. If black or brown pests are present in single quantities, it is quite possible that the cereals can be preserved after special gentle processing of cereals, which will not cause harm to human health. These methods include exposure to products using high or, conversely, low temperatures, as well as sifting through a kitchen sieve. In case large number beetles, the entire contents of the cabinets will have to be disposed of. .

The correct thing to do would be to hermetically seal the affected products and throw them away, but it is best to take them directly to the trash container so as not to store them in an apartment or house in a trash can, since bugs will again be able to reach the products from there.

All shelves in cabinets, as well as containers intended for storing cereals, must be subjected to mandatory treatment. This can be done using a soap or soda solution, in some cases you can use a weakly concentrated solution of table vinegar.

Mechanical and folk remedies

Among the large list of methods to combat insects Several effective recipes should be highlighted.

• Freezing. This method will only bring results in the case of a small cluster of bugs that entered the house not so long ago and did not have time to give birth. The essence of the method is to pre-sift the products, after which it is necessary to replace the packaging of porridge, pasta or flour and place them in the freezer for 15–20 minutes.
• Using a microwave oven. Because this household appliances present in almost every kitchen, its use for pest control has been experimentally proven. Destroyed uninvited guest by processing cereals in the microwave under the influence of high temperatures. To do this, bulk supplies must be poured into a special container for use in a microwave oven, and then placed inside for processing for 5–7 minutes. After the time has passed, you can check the result: if the bugs are still alive, then the processing time needs to be doubled. Next, the products should be sifted to get rid of larvae, eggs and the pests themselves.

• Using saline solution. This method is suitable for killing beetles in legumes. The solution is prepared by dissolving two tablespoons of table salt in a liter of water, after which the product must be placed in a convenient container and filled with salty liquid. After some time, the pests will find themselves floating on the surface of the water.
• Borax. Folk remedy, which has been in use for quite some time. It is completely harmless to humans, but is a real poison for pests. The use of borax involves the disposal of all contaminated bulk products, the treatment of shelves, after which the product must be placed inside the cabinets. You can prepare it as follows:
  • crushed millet, borax and sugar, taken in equal quantities, are combined and rolled into small balls;
  • the second option involves the use of dry yeast, sugar and borax.

In the first case, the poisoned balls need to be distributed among cabinets and drawers in the kitchen or pantry. The second method assumes that the product will be free-flowing, so it is scattered into small envelopes and also sent to insect habitats.

• Use of boric acid. To prepare the composition, you need to combine flour, sugar and acid in equal volumes. The product should be placed on plates and placed in a closet.
• Products that have a rich odor. Strong aromas are good insect repellents. The essence of use is to place citrus peels, peeled garlic cloves, and bay leaves in boxes. You can use nutmeg as an aromatic, effective seasoning.
• Using plants with rich aroma. Such crops include dried lavender, fir, rosemary or cloves. Instead of dry plants, you can use the essence and oils of these plants. This option is more pleasant from a human point of view, and as a poison for insects, the crops will help destroy all types of pests. As an option, it is allowed to use natural antiseptics, which are calendula and chamomile.

Professional chemistry

Along with folk and by mechanical means to combat insects in the kitchen, there are specialized store-bought formulations that will help with a large lesion, as well as when the above remedies did not bring the expected result and the bugs continue to destroy cereals and multiply.

Karbofos and Antizhuk are considered drugs that have earned a good reputation. The latter composition will have a complex effect, since it is capable of destroying not only food bugs, but also insects that cause harm wooden surfaces and furniture in the house.

Such work must include:

• regular inspection and cleaning of the contents of the kitchen table;
• timely disposal of expired products;
• compliance with recommended storage periods and conditions;
• heat treatment of purchased products, flour, pasta and other bulk products;
• refusal to store bulk products together with dried fruits.

Should you eat contaminated cereal?

Some people, after finding a small number of pests in flour or porridge, sift them, heat them in the oven and use them for cooking. But, as experts advise, it is best to avoid eating such cereals, even washed and processed ones. This is explained by the fact that in total mass nevertheless, there remain products of decay and vital activity of insects, which in themselves can pose an even greater danger than a living individual.

Any product requires compliance the right conditions storage after release, as well as at home after its acquisition. The most the right option for placing cereals, use perforated bags or glass containers with a lid. Cans or boxes made of metal or plastic are considered good containers for cereals, flour or sugar.

More and more modern housewives are returning to our ancestors’ storage options for such products - buying or sewing special bags from natural fabrics. In such material there is good air circulation, and insects, as a rule, do not infest.

Most often, such bags are boiled in salt water, which helps repel and even destroy pests.

You should avoid purchasing large quantities of bulk products, because the shelf life of cereals such as buckwheat or semolina is only six months.

However, the most important issue regarding storing cereals with minimal risk of detecting bugs in them is following the recommendations regarding storage periods, air temperature and humidity in the room.

To learn how to get rid of bugs and moths in cereals, watch the following video.

March 7, 2018
Specialization: master in construction plasterboard structures, finishing works and styling floor coverings. Installation of door and window units, finishing of facades, installation of electrical, plumbing and heating - I can give detailed advice on all types of work.

Bugs in cereals and other products in the kitchen are an unpleasant surprise that causes a lot of problems for housewives. In this article we will figure out how to solve this problem with minimal costs time and effort and how to carry out prevention to prevent the appearance of bugs later.

How to get rid of bugs in cereals in the kitchen cupboard

To understand the topic in detail, we will divide it into several parts; you need to carefully study all the information below in order to understand what and how to do. Everything is quite simple, the main thing is to follow safety measures and do everything carefully.

Causes of pests

• Cereals, flour and other products are stored in loosely closed containers. Many people simply place open packages on shelves and use them as needed. That is, insects have free access to all your supplies, and if several insects get into the kitchen, they will multiply very quickly in such conditions;

• Old, dry furniture. Despite all its non-obviousness, this aspect greatly increases the likelihood that bugs will appear in the cabinet, since they live and multiply in the cracks of dried wood and in old furniture are being created ideal conditions. To eliminate such problems, repair and replace furniture on time;

• Large stocks of cereals, flour and other products. You shouldn’t stock up on everything for the year ahead; the more products you have stored, the higher the likelihood that one of the packages contains beetle larvae, which will damage not only the contents of one package, but over time will penetrate the contents of other packages. All savings turn into additional costs when you have to throw away half of your supplies;

• Purchase of cereals by pests. Most often, it is very difficult to distinguish between eggs and larvae; however, carefully inspect the packages and try to buy those packages in which the contents are at least partially visible. If appearance is suspicious or you see foreign inclusions, then it is better to refuse the purchase. Sometimes the bugs are visible to the naked eye, as in the photo below, which is why transparent bags are preferable;

• Clutter in the lockers. If cereals and flour spill on the shelves and cleaning is not carried out for a long time, then the danger of pests increases sharply. You need to clean the cabinets in a timely manner and try to prevent spillage of bulk products.

Remember that pests feed not only on flour and cereals. Other products must also be protected: pasta, cookies and crackers, bakery products, various nuts, dried fruits, food concentrates.

Types of bugs in the kitchen

Most often, one of the following types of pests appears in the kitchen:

Illustration	Description
	Surinamese mucoed. Small bugs with a body size of no more than 2 mm prefer cereals and quickly breed in most bulk products that are stored in the kitchen. The bug is bred in grain drying complexes and elevators and enters the house in bags of semolina, pasta or rice. The tiny eggs laid by the pest cannot be distinguished with the naked eye, so it is impossible to completely guarantee safety when purchasing. The red flour eater, as this bug is also called, feeds not only on cereals, but also on breadcrumbs, dried fruits, dried fruits and much more.
	Flour beetle. These pests are much easier to detect as their size reaches 4 mm. They live in cereal bags, bread bins and crevices in kitchen cabinets. It feeds on almost all bulk foods and multiplies very quickly if no measures are taken to eliminate it.
	Grinder beetle. Grows up to 3 mm and has different colors- from dark yellow to brown. In the kitchen there is a so-called bread grinder, which feeds on any cereals, dried fruits, and baked goods. It multiplies very actively and can occupy your cabinets in just a week.
	food moth. A relative of the pest that starts in wardrobes. Lepidoptera insect small size causes great damage to all bulk products in the kitchen. Moreover, the main problems are caused not by small moths, but by their larvae - voracious caterpillars.

Folk remedies for getting rid of bugs in the kitchen

Remember a simple rule - the sooner after detection you begin to fight pests, the easier the job will be. You need to perform a number of important steps:

Illustration	Description
	An audit of all available bulk products is carried out. Carefully remove the contents from the cabinets and carefully review all products that may contain pests. It is important not to miss a single package, as to guarantee good effect This is only possible if all insects are completely eliminated.
	Damage caused to products is assessed. There may be several options for the development of events: If there are few bugs, you can sift the food and steam it or freeze it in the freezer; If there is a significant spread of insects, as in the photo, it is better to get rid of all affected products.
	Getting rid of pests is done like this:: All bulk products with insects are hermetically packed in plastic bags; They should not be placed in the trash bin; all products should be placed in the container immediately. It’s better to play it safe and throw away all suspicious products; you won’t lose a lot of money, but you will significantly reduce the likelihood of pests reappearing.
	Cabinets need to be thoroughly cleaned and washed.. For this, a simple disinfectant solution is used, which is easy to prepare: 1 tablespoon per liter of water. All surfaces are wiped with the composition, after which you need to wait until all the cabinets are completely dry. If there are cracks inside, they should be filled with putty. special composition, since these are the places where pests most often live.
	All products must be poured into sealed containers. These can be glass jars or special plastic containers. There should be no bags, as these are potential places for pests to spread.
	Baits are prepared and placed with boric acid or borax. They are located near cabinets, on window sills and countertops. The composition is poured onto pieces of cardboard or into can lids. It is important that the products are closed, as indicated above, so that pests do not enter them after they have tasted the bait.
	Folk remedies are used to repel pests: Pyrethrum is special kind chamomile, the smell of which is not tolerated by pests; Cloves also repel insects and can be placed in kitchen cabinets; Bay leaves can be placed near cereals; insects do not like its smell either; Peeled garlic cloves reduce the likelihood that pests will appear again.

Let's figure out how to prepare bait, everything is quite simple:

• You will need boric acid or borax. These compounds are sold in hardware stores and are inexpensive. As for the release form, a powder version is used to prepare dry bait, and for bait with honey it is better to use a liquid form;

• The second component that will be used to remove pests is powdered sugar. You need about the same amount of it as the first composition. You can buy a ready-made version, or you can grind regular sugar, there is no difference;

• Preparation is simple: the components are mixed in a 1:1 ratio. After this, a little of the composition is poured into the lids, which are placed near the places where the pests were found. You can also place baits in the corners of the kitchen, since it is possible that insects have scattered around the room.

Prevention of bugs

In order not to think about how to remove pests from kitchen cabinets, you need to follow a few simple recommendations:

• Buy cereals only in transparent bags. More often visual inspection gives an idea of ​​the quality of the cereal; if there are a lot of impurities in the packaging, then most likely the product has not been processed thoroughly enough. At the slightest suspicion, refuse to purchase. Ideally, if you know which manufacturers' products have high quality and you constantly acquire only it;

Very often, pest larvae are found in cheap cereals that are offered for sale.

• All bulk items, as well as flour, pasta, dried fruits, etc. store in airtight containers. After purchase, unpack the packaging and pour it into a container, then immediately close it tightly with a lid. Ideally, if the jars are transparent, then you will be able to see the condition of the products and immediately notice any problems if they arise;

• Do not store large amounts of flour and cereals. At room temperature they begin to rot, which makes the likelihood of bugs and moths appearing tenfold. In addition, large volumes are difficult to control and most often the problem is discovered only when it is impossible to save the products, and your savings turn into large costs;
• Do not buy bulk products in large packages. The likelihood that a ten or twenty kilogram bag contains pest larvae is many times higher than in small packs. In addition, it is unlikely that you will have enough containers to hermetically pack the entire volume. And even if all the food in the kitchen is stored properly, an open bag will be a potential hazard;
• Maintain order in lockers. At least once a month, a general cleaning is carried out by removing all the contents and wiping the walls with a disinfectant composition. Never put spilled cereals or flour in the cupboard; clean it up immediately and the likelihood of insects appearing will decrease significantly. Try to arrange the products so that they are all visible and can be visually inspected from time to time;
• Fix problems with furniture. It was already written above that cracks in wood are ideal for pests, and they live and reproduce there. Fix all problems not only in cabinets, but also on window sills and other elements.

Conclusion

Now you know about all the main pests that appear in the kitchen and can effectively deal with them. But it is better to carry out timely prevention so as not to solve such problems. The video tells additional information on the topic, and if you suddenly don’t understand something, write questions in the comments.

March 7, 2018

If you want to express gratitude, add a clarification or objection, or ask the author something - add a comment or say thank you!

Black bugs and other insects in flour and cereals are a common problem. When they appear, they quickly infest everything, and a few days of delay can lead to a long time to remove the pests. They not only spoil food, but can also cause poisoning and allergic reactions. Pests can be brought from a store with low-quality products; they also appear in places improper storage products. We'll talk about methods of fighting bugs next.

Types of pests

The following types of household pests are known today:

Bread grinder

It is found in bakeries, where they forget about basic hygiene and disinfection methods and, perfectly adapting to almost any environment, ends up with the products in homes. The size of the insect is 3 millimeters in length, it flies perfectly, which allows it to quickly move from place to place and, because of this, it is more difficult to eliminate. Usually he eats bread, but he can also enjoy rice, buckwheat, tea, animal food and even an old book.

Mucoed

Prefers flour, cereals and grains. It is very voracious, despite its tiny size - 2 millimeters in length. The flour beetle larva is even smaller, so it is difficult to notice it right away: black dots found in flour are a sign of the presence of mucoed larvae in it. The beetle is very prolific, producing offspring up to 7 times a year in large quantities. Therefore, in just a couple of months, flour can turn into a breeding ground for these insects. The ideal environment for a mucous eater is high humidity and warmth.

Flour beetle

This small insect up to 4 millimeters long, reddish-brown. It multiplies rapidly, and settles not only in flour and cereals, but also in furniture and dishes. Breeding a beetle is very difficult, as it is unpretentious to living conditions and is hardy.

food moth

She looks like a simple moth. The length of its body does not exceed 1 centimeter. It is characterized by high fertility (over five hundred eggs in two weeks, from which caterpillars hatch). The moth devours cereal reserves at high speed. Her ability to hide, fly and disguise herself as dark objects makes her virtually invulnerable.

Weevils

They can appear in literally all products: cereals, flour, bread, dried fruits, fruits and vegetables. They look like small bugs, about 5 millimeters in size with a long proboscis. Weevils can fly, changing their location depending on changes in environmental conditions, and also easily climb walls. The pest produces offspring up to 6 times a year. They settle everywhere: remote corners of the kitchen cabinet, containers of cereals, bed linen, baseboards, cracks.

Fighting methods

What to do if bugs still appear in flour and cereals?

Disposal

The main method of combating the bug is the disposal of affected supplies. Of course, it’s a great pity for spoiled flour or cereal, but if there are insects in it, it means that a couple more days will pass and they will crawl throughout the house. Therefore it is necessary to urgently, tie the bag tightly and put it in another bag, take it to the trash.

After disposal, it is necessary to wash kitchen shelves and cereal storage containers (if any) with bleach, soda or vinegar. After treatment, be sure to rinse the surfaces with water.

Heat treatment

All types of insects die at temperatures above +50 degrees. This can be either boiling water or steam treatment. This method is good for eliminating bug nests in baseboards and crevices that cannot be reached with chemicals and sanitation.

To remove bugs directly from cereals, you can fry them in the oven at a temperature of about 50-70 degrees for 20 minutes. Or put it in the freezer for several hours. Insects die at temperatures below 15 degrees.

When the larvae and adults are destroyed, it is necessary to thoroughly rinse the grains (beans, beans, nuts) with water and wait for the pests to surface. Then, drain the water and rinse the product again so that there are no larvae left in it. Flour and small grains after heat treatment It is better to sift through a sieve 2-3 times.

Chemicals

On open kitchen surfaces it's better to use special chemicals, which are sold in abundance in hardware stores. Just don’t buy it to fight the bug. simple remedies from cockroaches and ants. In this case, specialized products are needed, for example, “Antizhuk” or “Karbofos”.

“Anti-bug” helps in the fight against any bug, be it cereal or wood, that damages windows and furniture. The drug is quite effective, but be sure to read the instructions before use, as it is toxic.

To remove insects, you can use “Rogneda” - a powerful antiseptic that can destroy both weevils, mucoeds, and ants and cockroaches.

One more effective means is "Lovin Fire Protection". The drug kills the beetle in the shortest possible time, but it must be scattered in places inaccessible to animals, as it is a powerful poison.

Folk recipes

Recipe 2.
Mix in equal proportions boric acid, flour and powdered sugar, which serves as an excellent bait. Scatter the mixture in the habitats of the bugs.

Recipe 3.
Insects are afraid of the smell of bay leaves, garlic, pepper and sulfur. It is enough to put a sprig of bay leaf in the kitchen cabinet or lay out simple matches, and reliable protection from pests will be created.

Simple precautions will help you avoid such an unpleasant problem as kitchen pests.

1. To prevent bugs from infesting flour and cereals, they must be stored at medium humidity in a well-ventilated area;
2. You need to make sure that there are no raw or undried foods (dried fruits, vegetables, wet cereals) in the kitchen cabinets. If there are any, then the mucoed will definitely settle in them;
3. It is mandatory to regularly inspect products and shelves. Make sure that the cereals do not sit for a long time, long-term storage is the main cause of insects.
4. Keep in kitchen cabinet cloves, bay leaf and matches to repel pests.
5. Store cereals and grains in plastic or glass containers with a sealed lid.
6. If you notice the first signs of spoilage of food, immediately throw it away or rinse or sift through a sieve.
7. Carry out general cleaning at least once a month using disinfectants.

Any woman spends a lot of time in the kitchen. It gives great pleasure to watch your husband and children eagerly devouring another culinary masterpiece or the most ordinary dish. But there are situations when the most careful housewife discovers in her kitchen unpleasant problem– insects in cereals and flour.

Why can bugs appear in flour or cereals?

Beetles appear in cereals or flour, as well as in nuts, dried fruits, beans, peas and even tea, not because of the untidiness of the housewife or uncleanliness in the kitchen cabinet, if they were not there before. Bugs appear from outside.

From a pack bought in a store, from cereal taken from a neighbor or relatives, from dried fruits brought as a treat that were already infested with bugs.

This photo shows that the bugs that are in the cereal are not always easy to see!

Why do cereals get bugs? The reason is unscrupulous checks at enterprises when packing cereals and flour, and poor initial processing of grain. Grain must be processed in a special way before becoming cereal in order to exclude the possibility of the presence of living organisms and their larvae in it.

Another reason - poor quality work control bodies monitoring the quality of products. Any low-quality, contaminated batch of cereal or flour must be rejected and not allowed for sale.

Otherwise, bugs appear in flour or cereals, and people have to think about how to get rid of them.

What insects can live in cereals and flour?

What to do if there are bugs in cereals or flour? To know how to get rid of bugs in cereals and flour, you need to know who exactly you need to fight.

Most often, flour beetles and food moths are found in cereals and flour.

The Surinam mucoedis is an insect of the order Coleoptera, a brown pest. It lives in granaries, mills, shops, houses and apartments.

In its development, the mucoed goes through several stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. The larva is very small in size - no more than 0.9 mm, so it is very difficult to detect. The mukoed lives from 0.5 to 3 years, laying up to 600 eggs.

Under favorable conditions (air temperature 25-27 degrees and humidity about 65%), the insect reproduces 2-3 times faster than at lower temperatures and humidity.

The Indian food moth is a small butterfly, up to 1 cm long. It lives only 2-3 weeks, but during this time it manages to lay up to 400 eggs, which then become caterpillars. The latter spoil the food by eating everything that is nearby.

After a few weeks, the grown larvae become pupae, and these, in turn, become adult butterflies, ready to produce new offspring.

Both flour eaters and moths are very tenacious, even in frost they do not die immediately. This must be taken into account in order to understand how to get rid of bugs in flour and cereals.

The photo below shows another type of bug that can be found in cereals or flour in your kitchen - this is the flour beetle:

Is it possible to eat cereals or flour if there are bugs in it?

One of the most frequently asked questions problems that arise in people who encounter insects in the kitchen: if there are bugs in the cereal, can it be eaten? Seeing that there are insects in cereals or flour, it is unlikely that anyone will want to eat them. But if we ignore the psychological component, is it possible to sort out the cereal, wash it and be sure that there are no bugs?

The answer to this question is negative. The fact is that even if you sort through the cereal and remove all the bugs, the larvae may simply not be noticed. They are small and have an inconspicuous color.

In addition, the cereal contains waste products of bugs, caterpillars and larvae: feces, dead larvae, husks that remain during degeneration into a pupa or butterfly.

The situation is somewhat different with flour. It can be sifted into a fine sieve, through which neither larvae nor debris left by bugs will pass. This is one way to get rid of bugs in flour.

How to get rid of insects in cereals and flour

Before you completely remove the bugs that have infested in cereals and cupboards, you need to throw away all the cereals in which they were found. Some people cook this cereal and feed it to backyard birds, which are not afraid of bugs; this is their daily food.

You cannot limit yourself to simply getting rid of contaminated products. After all, larvae can be on packages with other products that were lying nearby, on doors, and in the corners of cabinets.

The next thing you need to do when fighting bugs is to wash the cabinet with detergent and then treat with vinegar. Banks in which spoiled cereals were stored must also be processed.

Prevention of insects in flour and cereals

In order not to think about how to remove bugs from cereals or flour, you can take some measures that will prevent them from appearing and multiplying.

Pests cannot tolerate strong odors. Therefore, garlic, bay leaves, and cloves placed in cabinets will help prevent the appearance of bugs.

If you buy cereal or flour in a store, you can also bring insects home. To prevent this, you can put the bags in the freezer for a while or store them permanently in the refrigerator.