WHEN STORING GRAINS

Grain Weevils

     
     I was recently asked about weevils by a friend.  She said she watches Doomsday Preppers and saw how this one family dealt with weevils in their massive storage of grain flours by storing in a special type of vacuum seal bucket using a pump to suck out the air.  She told me she has searched and searched & couldn't find such a thing & wondered if I knew about this.
     Honestly, I have watched Doomsday Preppers & I honestly believe  these people are not too far off the track and since no one has a crystal ball, no one really knows if there could be some type of disaster where skills such as theirs would be totally beneficial, but, for us, we don't go to that extreme.
     However, we do store a year's supply of food.  That's all.  Just one year supply of food, then we rotate it regularly, every month.  We don't store food and wait for the doomsday.  We don't store food not to rotate or eat within a few months.  We do not stockpile in case we need it or someone else needs it.  We buy in bulk, buy a lot, and use it all through-out the year.  Even wheat.
     
     So, what are weevils?  Have you ever opened a box of Bisquick or a 5 pound bag of flour and discovered those pesky little bugs, silver or beige in color, no bigger than a head of a pin & scattered in your grain flours?  They look horrifying, but they are not.  Many people have them and wonder where in the heck they came from.

     Where do they come from?  Do you ask yourself where they came from knowing that you are a clean person, have clean cupboards & shelves & never find so much as an ant crawling on your clean floor?  They came from the wheat itself.  The wheat kernel long before you purchased it.  In their larvae stage, they have attached themselves to the grain and hitched a ride from the farmer to the packaging plant to the market to your kitchen.  Given the right conditions they will hatch, mature and then feed off your flours.    

          

   Here are some facts:

      

     1.      Many weevils are damaging to crops. The grain or wheat weevil damages stored grain.

2.    Flour weevils are often found in dry foods including cereals, pastas, cake mixes, powdered milk, cornstarch, cornmeal, and flours. 

     
     How can I prevent them from hatching?  

 Barry & I buy about 200 pounds of wheat a year.  We grind what we need for the day we need it (about twice a week).  We also buy 100 pounds of white flour.  Then I open the bags, dump them into 5 gallon food-grade plastic buckets with airtight lids.  I leave one bucket for every day use so I don't re-seal that lid.  For pre-packaged dry foods or my homemade mixes, I store in mason jars or large Tupperware containers. 
     Then, BEFORE I tighten the lids, I have a time tested trick my aunt taught me:

BUY A PACK OF SPEARMINT GUM.  TAKE OUT ONE STICK OF GUM AND PUT IT RIGHT SMACK DAB IN THE MIDDLE OF YOUR GRAINS, FLOURS or MIXES.  
                   -OR-
If you grow mint, cut off a sprig of mint.

Every month check your gum.  If it's hard and brittle, take it out & replace it.  If the mint leaves have dried up, take them out & replace with fresh.

     

     This method has worked for me for over 35 years and I have not had one single weevil in any of my food storage.    

Tip:  Don't spend hard earned money on fancy-smancy gizmo's.  Spearmint gum works great -- OR, grow your own mint for even more savings :)