Guest guest Posted December 12, 2009 Report Share Posted December 12, 2009 Hi! I have had your problem, and ended up putting everything in freezer Ziploc bags, and then storing them in the refrigerator on one shelf. I didn't keep any of the infected foods, but got rid of them, and when I brought in the new foods, I labeled my bags, and put the date on the bag with a Sharpie marker, and then put the items in the food storage bags, and closed them well, squeezing out all the air, and then into the refrigerator they go. I try to pat the bags down into flat pancake style, so that more can sit in there, one atop the other, flat. That is the only way I know to keep the bugs out. Then I sprayed insecticide in my cupboards (saying a " sorry, and I hope you have better luck next time " - in case there is reincarnation), and waited a day, and then sprayed again, and then wiped them out with paper towels, and a clean soapy rag, which I threw away afterwards. Because the bugs can leave their larvae anywhere, and I wanted them OUT of my cupboards. They can get into ANYTHING! Except metal cans, and I wouldn't be surprised if they could find a way to get into those! I have huge clear glass canisters, and I keep them full - I put a Ziploc bag in each of them, the largest I can find, and dump my flours into the bags, zip them shut, and then put the lid on the canister, and so far, so good. They've been in there for over a year now, with no bugs in them. Annie Littlewolf - itshotinjt04 Saturday, December 12, 2009 12:31 PM [veg_grp] Silly question about food storage As I was going through my cupboards looking for all of my baking staples, I came across a bag of dill weed that had found it's way buried under things and in the back. There were holes in it and at closer inspection, I saw that bugs had gotten into it. Ugh. Well, they also got into an UNOPENED huge box of cornmeal. Other than putting the spices into spice jars, how do I keep the bugs out of these things? They apparently eat through plastic bags and find cracks in boxes. Do I have to put them into plastic or glass containers? Would paper bags work (because my flour still seems fine)? I'm just glad they didn't get into my other baking supplies beacuse almost everything comes in plastic these days! Thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 12, 2009 Report Share Posted December 12, 2009 Glass containers are the only thing I've found that works 100% of the time, but I think bay leaves and little muslin bags of dried lavender on cabinet shelves are also helpful. I know some people like cayenne, too, but I worry about forgetting and getting it in my eyes or on one of the cats. I also keep a fair amount of things like sugar in the refrigerator, esp. at buggy times of the year, and periodically take everything off the shelves, inspect it, and wipe down the jars and shelves with vinegar.Hope this helps! Peace, Mo itshotinjt04 wrote: > As I was going through my cupboards looking for all of my baking staples, I came across a bag of dill weed that had found it's way buried under things and in the back. There were holes in it and at closer inspection, I saw that bugs had gotten into it. Ugh. Well, they also got into an UNOPENED huge box of cornmeal. Other than putting the spices into spice jars, how do I keep the bugs out of these things? They apparently eat through plastic bags and find cracks in boxes. Do I have to put them into plastic or glass containers? Would paper bags work (because my flour still seems fine)? I'm just glad they didn't get into my other baking supplies beacuse almost everything comes in plastic these days! > Thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 12, 2009 Report Share Posted December 12, 2009 Glass containers will keep the bugs out. Mae Jean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 12, 2009 Report Share Posted December 12, 2009 A also use glass containers. They are a sure bet. Buck , " Granny Mae Jean " <gran_mae wrote: > > Glass containers will keep the bugs out. > Mae Jean > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 12, 2009 Report Share Posted December 12, 2009 I get those types of bugs (my mother called them 'mealy bugs') all the time. I'm thinking even that they are in the store before you bring home the items and they simply multiply. You say they eat through the plastic, I can imagine that. I use containers that have the hinged lids where they fold down and it's hard for anything to fit into these things. :-) I got mine at JC Penney's, but you can get them almost anywhere now. They are usually square and have very tight fitting lids. Just a thought. Of course, the thing that REALLY keeps them away is the refrigerator. Cindi ________________________________ itshotinjt04 <itshotinjt04 Sat, December 12, 2009 12:31:48 PM [veg_grp] Silly question about food storage As I was going through my cupboards looking for all of my baking staples, I came across a bag of dill weed that had found it's way buried under things and in the back. There were holes in it and at closer inspection, I saw that bugs had gotten into it. Ugh. Well, they also got into an UNOPENED huge box of cornmeal. Other than putting the spices into spice jars, how do I keep the bugs out of these things? They apparently eat through plastic bags and find cracks in boxes. Do I have to put them into plastic or glass containers? Would paper bags work (because my flour still seems fine)? I'm just glad they didn't get into my other baking supplies beacuse almost everything comes in plastic these days! Thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 12, 2009 Report Share Posted December 12, 2009 Now you made me think, Annie. I put flour in the freezer. Is that wrong? (for the flour I mean...will it hurt anything about the flour?) Also, I just want to mention that IF the bugs are reincarnated, I hope they are forgiving or don't know you ... no, only kidding. :-) I don't believe in reincarnation so that doesn't particularly bother me when I kill them. Better them than me I figure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 12, 2009 Report Share Posted December 12, 2009 What kind of lids do your glass containers have? Diana Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 12, 2009 Report Share Posted December 12, 2009 I keep baking staples and everything else that weevils can get into in plastic containers, in glass jars or in the fridge or the freezer. Nancy C. East Texas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 13, 2009 Report Share Posted December 13, 2009 Hi Cindi! No, freezing won't hurt the flour, but do let it come to room temp before trying to make yeast-rising bread with it. Annie - Cindi Waters Saturday, December 12, 2009 9:11 PM Re: [veg_grp] Silly question about food storage Now you made me think, Annie. I put flour in the freezer. Is that wrong? (for the flour I mean...will it hurt anything about the flour?) . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 13, 2009 Report Share Posted December 13, 2009 Thanks! ________________________________ Annie Littlewolf <mkdebord Sun, December 13, 2009 11:08:57 AM Re: [veg_grp] Silly question about food storage Hi Cindi! No, freezing won't hurt the flour, but do let it come to room temp before trying to make yeast-rising bread with it. Annie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 13, 2009 Report Share Posted December 13, 2009 re: Well, they also got into an UNOPENED huge box of cornmeal. Actually the bugs were in there to begin with......as eggs. The gov't allows a certain amount of " filth " in our food because to absolutely sanitize our food supply from insects would require so much pesticide that the consumer would be poisoned. IMO - The best way to make sure the bugs don't infest your spices, flour and baking supplies (by hatching) to put them in the refrigerator. Regards Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 14, 2009 Report Share Posted December 14, 2009 The only reason I assumed they came from the outside was because some of the cornmeal was leaking out of the corners of the box and I taped them shut to keep a mess off my shelf. When I pulled the box out, I noticed a bug stuck to the tape on the outside that wasn't taped down. There was no way this one could have come from the inside and it was the same bug as the others. I am sure you are right, though, about them being in our food as well. I can't imagine what I have eaten in the past, nor do I want to! Thanks for all of the suggestions so far. I just wish I had room in my fridge!! , Malabar Scott <malabar.scott wrote: > > re: Well, they also got into an UNOPENED huge box of cornmeal. > > Actually the bugs were in there to begin with......as eggs. > > The gov't allows a certain amount of " filth " in our food because to > absolutely sanitize our food supply from insects would require so much > pesticide that the consumer would be poisoned. > > IMO - The best way to make sure the bugs don't infest your spices, flour and > baking supplies (by hatching) to put them in the refrigerator. > > Regards > > Scott > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 14, 2009 Report Share Posted December 14, 2009 Hi. I try not to obsess about what I'm eating re: the pathogens that might be there. Because they're going to be there regardless of whether I obsess or not, case in point is when the e-coli episode happened due to spinach some years ago and people died. do you know that thousands upon thousands of deaths occur annually because of hospital borne infections? (A place you'd think would be sterile, but it's not.) I do agree that I've eaten my share of bugs unknown to me. invisible little creatures. I am no longer overly surprised when I see little bugs on my shelves -- I know they're going to be there no matter how hard I try to keep them away. When I do find them, however, I clean the counter and yes, I agree with the poster who said that the eggs are probably in the meal we buy, they just don't hatch in the refrigerator. :-) Don't worry about it -- too much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 14, 2009 Report Share Posted December 14, 2009 Best not to think about all the bugs that live inside us then doing what the bugs outside us do......cleaning up all the debris .....keeping us healthy. Ciao k.t Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 14, 2009 Report Share Posted December 14, 2009 lol you sound like my boys when they ate trying to gross me out! -Tee Sent from my iPhone Best not to think about all the bugs that live inside us then doing what the bugs outside us do......cleaning up all the debris .....keeping us healthy. Ciao k.t Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 14, 2009 Report Share Posted December 14, 2009 I remember a routine from George Carlin - he never caught colds, flu, etc because he had been well exposed as a child - swimming in the Hudson! There is some truth to it, we need bugs to keep us healthy. Sam Best not to think about all the bugs that live inside us then doing what the bugs outside us do......cleaning up all the debris .....keeping us healthy. Ciao k.t Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 14, 2009 Report Share Posted December 14, 2009 Good grief - have a few boys, that will teach you the ONLY time you smell ANYTHING is when you are going out in public - I used to do that before them. As for the tasting, when the smells are scary it's best to leave the tasting alone! LOL You won't ever catch me doing that. I totally get you on the germaphob, I knew people like that and it made me crazy. My mom thankfully wasn't too bad. I prefer having fun with my kids and with boys things get messy quick! lol We have had rollypolly roundups, roach rodeos, digging for worms, we all love looking at moths and butterflies, and we are always on the look out for new bugs. This year alone we have found a rare lunar moth right on our deck, and a wheel bug on our window screen. That sucker was HUGE! So the only " critters " that gross me out are yes the roaches, and snakes. I don't like them at all. So far the feral cats have kept them away fairly well the past couple of years. One year they caught almost all of them and we CONSTANTLY had snakes in our yard. Moccasins and Rattlers among them. I was not happy and begged them to leave some of the cats from now on. lol ~Tee ________________________________ This will really gross you out. I taste everything and my sister smells everything. I even taste my face creams, if they are bitter then I won't use them. I feel alll materials, if it's soft it has priority and I will wear it, itchy no way. My Mom was a germaphobe and I'm not. I'm careful and wash my hands but I don't run around the house with Lysol spray, Pinesol and bleach like she did. I have too many other things to do than to stand and scrub and wash things off day and night. Donna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 14, 2009 Report Share Posted December 14, 2009 I was just thinking that because a cream is sour tasting doesn't mean it's no good. Some solutions are probably nasty tasting. But maybe good for the skin? I don't know -- I use very little cream, some foundation, haven't smoked for years and my skin looks pretty good for my age. But -- that being said -- the shelf life of opened cosmetics is not very long. They DO attract nasty bacteria. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 14, 2009 Report Share Posted December 14, 2009 LOLÂ Has to pass the taste test with me no matter what. Donna One pill makes you larger, and one pill makes you small. And the ones that mother gives you don't do anything at all. Go ask Alice, when she's ten feet tall. Jefferson Airplane - White Rabbit --- On Mon, 12/14/09, Cindi Waters <clean_boost wrote: Cindi Waters <clean_boost Re: [veg_grp] Silly question about food storage Monday, December 14, 2009, 5:38 PM Â I was just thinking that because a cream is sour tasting doesn't mean it's no good. Some solutions are probably nasty tasting. But maybe good for the skin? I don't know -- I use very little cream, some foundation, haven't smoked for years and my skin looks pretty good for my age. But -- that being said -- the shelf life of opened cosmetics is not very long. They DO attract nasty bacteria. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 14, 2009 Report Share Posted December 14, 2009 <<LOL Has to pass the taste test with me no matter what. Donna>> :-) OK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 14, 2009 Report Share Posted December 14, 2009 Hi! I once watched a segment on some talk show about the bugs that live ON us - they showed an extreme close up of our eyelids, down at the eyelash level, and talk about BUGS! Holy Cow! There were all sorts of bugs that live in our eyelashes! I was horrified! But they are there, and I wash my face like crazy now, trying to get rid of as many as I can, although I guess some of them are good bugs. But I'll never forget the microscopic view they had of those bugs living in our eyelashes. YUCK!!!!!!! Annie Littlewolf - Samatha Lea Monday, December 14, 2009 7:14 PM RE: [veg_grp] Re: Silly question about food storage I remember a routine from George Carlin - he never caught colds, flu, etc because he had been well exposed as a child - swimming in the Hudson! There is some truth to it, we need bugs to keep us healthy. Sam Best not to think about all the bugs that live inside us then doing what the bugs outside us do......cleaning up all the debris .....keeping us healthy. Ciao k.t Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 15, 2009 Report Share Posted December 15, 2009 I don't mind the bugs I can't see so much. Out of sight, out of mind. But, when I am baking treats and can see bugs or what is left of them, that's where I draw the line. Those bugs aren't helping me!! They aren't supposed to be there. BTW...I once made brown rice with bugs in it, not realizing that the brown things were bugs (thought they were just darker pieces of rice!). It sounds silly and I feel stupid now for not realizing it at the time. When the next bags of rice I made didn't have them, I realized what it had been. Didn't kill any of us, but made me more aware of what I am cooking with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 15, 2009 Report Share Posted December 15, 2009 I was surprised one time to see how many (ok, hold your stomach) WORMS were in an 'organic' box of dates ... and I didn't realize it until I ate a few, LOL! I'm still alive, this happened many years ago. And from a health store, yet. :-) I suppose they were more nutritious than the regular stuff, that's why the worms liked them. itshotinjt04 <<BTW...I once made brown rice with bugs in it, not realizing that the brown things were bugs (thought they were just darker pieces of rice!). It sounds silly and I feel stupid now for not realizing it at the time. When the next bags of rice I made didn't have them, I realized what it had been. Didn't kill any of us, but made me more aware of what I am cooking with.>> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 15, 2009 Report Share Posted December 15, 2009 Oh ... My ... Goodness! I will never again be able to pour chopped dates onto my cereal without an inspection. Back in olden days of sailing ships when I was in the Navy a new sailor was occasionally heard asking about weevils and such in a dish. He was assured that they were high-protein and harmless. None of us were ever sick so I suppose that's proof in the pudding so to speak. WigglyWorms in dates might have been a hard sell even to hungry sailors. Raymond , Cindi Waters <clean_boost wrote: > > I was surprised one time to see how many (ok, hold your stomach) WORMS were in an 'organic' box of dates ... and I didn't realize it until I ate a few, LOL! I'm still alive, this happened many years ago. And from a health store, yet. :-) I suppose they were more nutritious than the regular stuff, that's why the worms liked them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 15, 2009 Report Share Posted December 15, 2009 For a long while after that incident I inspected all my dates. I haven't thought about for a while until the subject of bugs came up. I haven't inspected them for years ... but now I probably will start looking again. :-) Cindi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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