The Weevil
Chefs know food and are familiar with food storage and preparation, which is why you should know something about weevils. What exactly is a weevil? That’s an excellent question. It is important not only to the culinary inspired but to everyone really who has a kitchen. Weevils are pests. Weevils are pantry pests, and they live in your food. You might say, well, that’s impossible. I keep a clean kitchen. That’s not enough. It helps, but it doesn’t deter the weevil because a weevil larva is already in the food when you buy it. “How can this be?” you might think. The FDA approves food to be sold with a certain percentage of weevil larva. Weevils when hatched are little tiny black bugs. Technically, they are tiny beetles. And they are different from and should not be confused with roaches. They are herbivores that feed on your food and are especially fond of pasta, grains, cereal, flour, sugar, and some spices.
Weevils are transported into your kitchen by the food you buy and store away in your pantry. For example, a bag of pasta you buy, brand new, will more than likely contain weevil larva. You unsuspectingly have eaten weevil larvae and weren’t even aware of it. Once you have cooked your pasta, the weevil larva dies and, well, you get some extra protein. Weevil larva and weevils themselves are not dangerous and will not kill you, but look ever unsightly. However, if you allow the pasta or grain product to sit long enough in your pantry or storage container, the larva will eventually mature, and then you have weevils. The tiny black bugs then feed of the pasta or grain it is in and escape from the bag and start multiplying. Yes, that’s right. I said escape from the bag. The weevil comes equipped with a snout that can eat through plastic and cardboard. A weevil attack can ruin your pantry and cost you money if you aren’t aware how to deal with the situation.
“So what can I do?” The real solution to this problem is better food storing and precautionary measures. When you buy pastas, grain, flour, or even sugar from your local grocer, you should immediately stick it in the freezer and allow it to stay there for a couple of days, like two or three. This will ensure that the weevil larva dies because of the drop in temperature. Once you have taken this step, you can rest assured that mature weevils won’t be hatching. The best thing to then do is place your consumables in a glass or metal container with an air-tight seal or lid. Did I mention that weevils don’t like bay leaves? That’t right. Bay leaves are a natural deterrent to weevils. So consider putting some bay leaves at the bottom of your canister before you fill it. You can also strew about bay leaves on your pantry shelves. If you find that messy, tie some bay leaves together and tape it to your pantry shelf.
If you recently discovered weevils in your pantry or in your box of cereal, there is an easy solution to the problem. But attack early, and be consistent in your methods or you will find yourself needing to take more drastic measures like calling an exterminator. Empty everything from your pantry and throw away anything that has weevils in it, whether dead or alive. Immediately take out the trash and ensure it is a safe distance away from your house. Before you get to cleaning your pantry, you need to do a couple of things first. With your pantry completely emptied and all contaminated items throw away, sweep out your pantry. Vacuum every crevice in your pantry. Concentrate on the corners. All right. Now you can clean it. In your kitchen sink, fill it with hot water, throw in some bleach (about a cup) and dishwashing soap. Fill the sink to about half way. Soak your rag in the solution and start wiping down your pantry. Wipe down every shelf, wall, nook and cranny. And I mean every wall, including the top of pantry shelves, underneath it, the sides, and floor.
Your house should smell like bleach right now. If not, you need more bleach. Allow to dry completely. Then using proper storage containers refill your pantry. If you are putting in items that you have previously taken out and checked for signs of weevils, ensure that you have wipe the can or container down with the bleach solution. After you have thrown everything away, you might notice you pantry has nothing in it. This just gives you another reason to go grocery shopping. As for the rest of your kitchen, go on a cleaning frenzy. Use your bleach solution and clean like you have never cleaned before. Check everything. EVERYTHING.
With spices and stuff, check to see if it is clumped together. That is an indicator or weevil larva. For instance in your fajita seasoning when checking it you notice little clumps of seasoning whilst shaking your bottle, throw it. Stores like Macy’s also sell air-tight seasoning containers. Consider this a time to invest in your kitchen. If you thought that all those fancy glass and bottle containers was just of way of putting on airs, then now is the time to “put on airs” yourself. If you did the cleaning frenzy and dealt with your house smelling like the inside on a bleach bottle, give it a day or two. Depending on the severity of the situation, you should notice that you will see one weevil, then none. A weevil crisis is not fun. But you can dea
l with it and avoid it in the future.
Article by: Lorraine Ramirez-Rodriguez
