Content

• Steps
• Advice
• What you need

If you open the lid of the flour jar and see small worms crawling inside, it's probably a grain beetle. Cereal beetles are actually small, reddish-brown, flying bugs. Since the grain beetle can lay several eggs a day for several months, you may have to deal with them for a while. Clean the kitchen and store the flour in a hard, airtight container. It may take a while for you to get rid of all grain beetle eggs, but improving storage conditions in your kitchen will help prevent the grain beetle from growing.

Steps

Method 1 of 2: Clean up and improve the kitchen environment

1. 

   Find a source of grain weevils. Although flyable, grain weevils often prefer being close to a food source. If you see reddish-brown bugs in flour, they can also hide in other foods in the kitchen. Be sure to check if there are a grain weevil near your pet's plate as this can be a food source for them. Check for a grain weevil for:
   • Cereals (oats, rice, quinoa, rice bran)
   • Crunchy biscuits
   • Spices and herbs
   • Dried pasta
   • dried fruits
   • Chocolate, candies and nuts
   • Dried beans

2. 

   
   
   Throw out food that contains a grain. While you cannot see weevil eggs in food, you should be able to see an adult grain beetle. Check the flour and kitchen foods for mature cereal and discard them if available. If not, you can store and use flour or food.
   • Do not eat anything that contains raw grain weevils. But if you accidentally bake bread from flour containing a grain beetle, you can eat it because the beetle is dead.

3. 

   
   
   Vacuum and clean the kitchen. Discard food from kitchen cabinets and use a vacuum cleaner to vacuum up food debris or flour. Use a towel dipped in soapy water to clean entire kitchen cabinets and any food spills. If you see grain mites in other rooms of your house, also vacuum thoroughly.
   • Immediately pour dust from the vacuum cleaner case into the large outside trash so that there are no residues in the kitchen trash can.
   • There is no need to use commercially available insecticides to kill grain weevils or kitchen moths if you clean the kitchen and eliminate their food sources.

4. 

   
   
   Use white vinegar or eucalyptus oil to clean your kitchen cabinets. After you've cleaned your kitchen cabinet, wipe off the liquid one more time the grain borer hates. You can wipe the water mixture mixed with vinegar in a 1: 1 ratio or use eucalyptus oil. Just dilute the essential oil with a little water and spray it on the kitchen cabinet.
   • You can try using durian leaf oil, tea tree oil, or pine oil to prevent a grain beetle from destroying your kitchen.

5. 

   Store all food in a hard, airtight container. Since a grain beetle can be eaten through a cardboard box or bag, you need to store the food in a rigid plastic container or airtight jar. If you buy baking dough (for example, cake dough or muffin), check for a grain and put the dough in a container. Color-coded or labeled on the box for ease of use.
   • Instructions for use on food packaging can be cut from cardboard and stored in a kitchen container.
   advertisement

Method 2 of 2: Preventing grain weevils

1. 

   Buy less flour. If you are not using too much flour, you should consider buying small amounts of flour at a time. If the flour is left unused for a long time, a grain can lay eggs inside. The faster you use the flour, the newer it will be and the less likely it is that you will become infected with a grain beetle.

2. 

   Freeze flour. As soon as you bring it home, keep the flour in a freezer bag and then keep it in the freezer for at least a week. This will help kill the grain weevils or their eggs found in the flour. You can then remove the flour and store it in a hard, airtight container or continue to store in the freezer until used.

3. 

   Place fresh bay leaf in the flour. Place a fresh bay leaf in each flour storage container or bag. Some people believe that laurel leaves can prevent a harmful grain beetle. You will need to change the leaves every few months or when you no longer smell the laurel leaves.
   • You can buy fresh laurel leaves at a farmer's store, near a stand that sells other fresh herbs.

4. 

   Use the Pheromone trap. You can purchase small bags of grain beetle traps. These pouches use attractants to attract grain weevils and kitchen moths. Traps have a sticky space to trap kitchen pests. Place several trap bags all over the stove and replace them each time they are full.
   • If a grain beetle grows too strong (eg thousands of cows crawl on floors and walls), you should contact a pest control professional.

5. 

   Regularly check the kitchen for grain weevils. Check the kitchen once every 1-2 months for a grain beetle. This step is especially important because an adult grain beetle can live for at least 1 year. Be sure to tidy up hard-to-reach areas in the kitchen, where grain beetles can start to thrive.
   • This is a good opportunity to clean the kitchen cabinets again. Keeping the kitchen clean will help prevent the grain beetles from returning.
   advertisement

Advice

• Do not throw food contaminated with grain beetles in the kitchen. Take it out and throw it in a large trash can to prevent a grain beetle from continuing to destroy in the kitchen.
• If you recently purchased flour and you find there is a grain inside, you should wrap the bag of flour in an airtight container and return it to the store.
• If your cupboard has stickers on it, you should remove it before you clean it as a grain can hide underneath.

What you need

• Hard, airtight container
• Vacuum cleaner
• Piece of cloth
• Soap for washing dishes
• Eucalyptus or vinegar essential oil
• Plastic bags for storing frozen foods
• Laurel leaves