<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
 
On Tue, 28 Nov 1995 09:12:31 -0600 herl jennifer l said:
 
>One thing you can do to prevent massive infestations is put all flours in
>the freezer for a couple of days.  This kills any bugs that might be
>present and keeps them from breeding and spreading. (Yes, I know it doesn't
>get rid of any bugs that are there to begin with, but if you sift your
>flour before using it, you should be able to detect any dead intruders.)
>Even the best of brands/stores/people have bug problems once in a while.
>Don't let it distress you too much.  I remember reading about travellers
>who routinely tapped their bread or biscuits on the table to knock the
>weevils out of them before eating it.
 
Occasional infestations are a fact of life with flour...esp if you buy it
from health food stores. They have lots of bins of flours, grains etc.  It
really can't be prevent entirely and you just need to not get too upset.
Obviously, you can be using pesticides around food.
 
One thing I've found that helps at home, besides storing flours in the
freezer and grains in tightly capped GLASS jars, is something called the
Pantry Pest trap. It is non-poisonous, meant to be used around foods. It's
a trap for those horrible little moths that can raid your pantry once one
gets into your house.  You can get them at lots of places...look for them.
they are very effective.  If you can't find them at the store, I do know that
the Vermont Country Store catalogue carries them.
 
Lisa Lewis