Flour is considered one of the most essential cooking ingredients that we need in our daily life. Generally, it is used to make bread, pasta, crackers, cakes, and many other foods. But sometimes you may notice the presence of bugs in flour.
In today’s article, we will discuss the bugs that are seen in flour.
Tiny bugs in flour
When you store your flour in a bag or jar, you may notice mites or bugs inside which are very difficult to see with the bare eyes. Typically, these flour mites have white bodies and brown legs. These are known as weevils. Sometimes they have a dark body which helps them to spot easily.
Flour is used to make bread, cakes, pasta, rolls, and other foods. Flour contains protein, starch, and many other nutritional elements that help to support the body. It is very important to store your flour in a secured airtight jar.
Otherwise, it may get infected by many types of insects and mites. Sometimes you may notice the presence of small-sized bugs and mites inside your flour. These mites are also known as weevils.
These are considered one of the most commonly found kitchen pests that are mostly seen in pantries and dry food cupboards. They are adaptable and they can leave in dark and humid conditions.
That is why living in the kitchen cupboard and pantry helps them to attract more weevils. Generally, the flour mites and weevils are small-sized insects that live inside flour and are very difficult to spot using bare eyes.
They have a white-colored body and brown-colored legs. Usually, weevils are slightly larger than the flour mites, which makes them easier to spot. They also have a darker body. Below is a brief discussion on a different type of flour bugs:
Brown bugs:
Generally, brown bugs are known as weevils. They live inside the flour cereal, grain, or rice.
Mites or bugs are pretty large, so they are easy to spot. It is highly recommended to avoid eating any type of food that is infested with brown bugs because they are harmful and can cause significant damage to your health.
White bugs:
White bugs are a common type of small insect that is found in flour. You can easily identify white bugs by finding the mite dust on the surface of your food.
They usually love to live inside your kitchen cupboard. They choose hot and humid places for living and breeding.
Gray bugs:
Bugs can easily damage your stored foods by laying eggs. A few gray bugs can start to live inside your store products for a long time and lay eggs. Once the eggs get hatched, it can cause a huge infestation of the gray bugs.
Black bugs:
Black bugs are mostly found in stored rice in your home. They are pretty much harmful and can cause a huge infestation of the stored rice.
Usually like to live in a hot and humid area. That is why they choose to live inside the kitchen cupboard and stored food jars.
How to get rid of tiny flour bugs:
Having bugs in your kitchen can make you feel annoyed and irritated. In addition to that, sometimes they have a huge infestation in your food storage and food jars. As a result, it can make your food storage unhealthy.
Bugs usually like to live in a hot and humid area. That is why they choose to live inside the kitchen cupboards and storage jars. In most cases, they lay eggs inside of them.
Once the eggs get hatched, it causes a huge infestation of bugs or mites in your kitchen. As a result, you can see their presence everywhere in the kitchen. Having bugs in your flour can make you feel irritated.
In addition to that, the bugs can make your flour inedible and unhealthy. That is why you can simply follow some tips to get rid of tiny bugs in your flour storage jar.
The best way to get rid of these tiny flour bugs is to implement some techniques that will drive away the bugs from your kitchen. Below are some tips that you can follow to get rid of tiny flour bugs in your kitchen:
Deep clean your kitchen:
It is highly recommended for you to deep clean your kitchen compartments, cabinets, cupboards, and other parts after a certain time. This will help to ensure proper hygiene and cleanliness in your kitchen.
That is why you need to remove everything from your kitchen and any containers or items that have been infested by the bugs.
You also need to vacuum the shelves and finish the cleaning process using white vinegar, hot soapy water, or natural cleaning spray by wiping down the cupboards.
Using an airtight container:
You need to be more careful about the storage in your kitchen. That is why you can use an airtight container to keep the items fresh and intact.
You also need to make sure that the containers do not have any leakage or holes in them that can cause the mikes to get inside them and breed.
Sprinkle natural mite repellents:
There are several natural mite repellents that you can use to keep the weevils and bugs away.
That is why you can sprinkle a few pieces of garlic cloves and Bay leaves inside the kitchen cabinets. You can also try sprinkling some cinnamon. This will keep the weevils and bugs away from your kitchen.
Tips to prevent flour bugs:
Bugs inside your kitchen can cause you a lot of trouble and make your kitchen environment unhealthy. Sometimes you may see their presence inside the flour and storage jars inside your kitchen.
The flour bugs mostly tend to live inside hot and humid areas where they can live and breed easily. That is why, if you have ever discovered bugs or flour mites, inside your kitchen, this can be an alarming sign for you.
You immediately need to take steps to prevent the bugs from infesting your kitchen. Generally, the flour bugs are so small that they are difficult to identify using bare eyes. However, some bugs are large. So, you can spot them easily.
However, if you take steps to prevent the bugs from infesting your kitchen, you can easily repel them. Below are some tips let you can follow to prevent the flour bugs from infesting your kitchen:
Inspect the kitchen area:
You need to maintain a routine and inspect the kitchen area, especially the cupboards, cabinets, and other shelves. Generally, these are the prices that the flour bugs and mites choose to live in.
In addition to that, you can also inspect the containers and jars inside the kitchen to make sure if there are any flour bugs inside them.
Keep your kitchen clean:
It is highly recommended to keep your kitchen clean. You can simply take out all the jars and containers from the cabinets and shelves and clean them regularly after a specific time.
As a result, this will prevent the flour bugs from infesting. In addition to that, you can put some garlic cloves and Bay leaves inside the shelves and cabinets to prevent the mites from getting inside them.
Refrain from storing food in the open:
It is highly recommended for you to avoid storing food in the open because that gives the mites a chance to get inside of it and breed easily. In addition to that, you need to check the food containers and storage and look for any type of mite.
This will help you to prevent any type of bugs or mite infestation in your kitchen and keep the foods safe to eat.
Is it safe to eat flour with weevils or flour mites?
Sometimes you may notice the presence of bugs or mites in your flour jar. It is very common for the mites to live inside the flour jar because they like to live in a dark, hot, and humid area.
Generally, the mites are so small that they are difficult to respond to with your bare eyes. However, the other type of mites also known as weevils is larger in size and easy to spot.
Generally, it is safe to eat flour with weevils or flour mites. But it is highly recommended to avoid eating flour that is infested by such types of insects. It may cause you to become sick and even worse, from food poisoning.
Final thoughts
Generally, the mites like to live inside dark, hot, and humid areas. That is why they tend to live inside the flour jars. The mites are so small that they are difficult to spot using your bare eyes. However, the weevils are slightly larger and can be easily spotted.