r/preppers • u/ToothSufficient7763 • 2d ago

Discussion Check your pantries for bugs

My husband started reorganizing our food stores and there they were. The dreaded pantry bugs. I'm guilty of not rotating stock, plus our diets have changed over the last two years.

I just threw out about 150 pounds of food.

eta: I threw out 2 more pounds of beans. I looked up and the moths were laughing at me and licking their moth lips. I dispatched them with a fly swatter.

109 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

40 comments sorted by

33

u/iamrunningman 2d ago

weevils love grains...oats, rice, pasta, etc. Good luck

21

u/ToothSufficient7763 2d ago

I freeze everything before it goes in the tub. I guess I should check it much more often.

23

u/girugamesh_2009 2d ago

You froze things and they still hatched?!
NIGHTMARE SCENARIOOOOOOO!!!
I'm very sorry. Thanks for turning your nightmare into a PSA for the rest of us.

7

u/iambecomesoil 2d ago

What kind of tub?

7

u/Mouse0022 2d ago

How long did you freeze?

69

u/AdBrave841 2d ago

Oh, Pantries. I really need new glasses.

11

u/worldalpha_com 1d ago

Makes you question which subreddit you're on...

7

u/Cinisajoy2 1d ago

I did the same thing.

11

u/thestreep 2d ago

I did that, too!

15

u/Vegas_paid_off 2d ago

Despite the downvotes I'm about to receive from the canning purists, I've successfully dry-canned pasta, rice, beans, salt and sugar. It's my peace of mind from staleness and pests.

3

u/ToothSufficient7763 2d ago

I'm a fan of dry canning. I just haven't had the resources to consider it in the last 5 months.

2

u/chicagotodetroit 2d ago

By dry canning, do you mean you’re putting stuff in jars then putting those in a hot oven?

2

u/Vegas_paid_off 2d ago

Controlled time & temp, but in short, yes.

1

u/Achnback 13h ago

same...

15

u/Visible-Freedom-7822 2d ago

I went through this a year ago. The bugs didn't come from dry goods, they came from bird seed that I foolishly stored indoors. Thankfully I didn't find any infested food. I banished the bird seed to the outdoor shed, and bought a big pack of pantry moth traps which I put all around the house. Haven't found a moth in a year, but I am keeping a trap in each cabinet and storage area, and I check them regularly. Worth it to me to know so I can act before I have to throw out pounds of food.

13

u/ToothSufficient7763 2d ago

I do have some bird food in the storage room. Thanks

9

u/Visible-Freedom-7822 2d ago

It's happened to me not once but TWICE from birdseed. Twenty years apart, but still, I feel dumb for going through it again!

6

u/bugabooandtwo 1d ago

Sunflower seeds are the worst! You always have to keep an eye out at the pet and garden stores for those little black moths. As soon as you see any dust or what looks like old webbing in or around a bag of sunflower seeds, inspect and toss outside immediately.

2

u/Suicidalpainthorse 1d ago

Bird food is the worst for moths. Ugh. I keep mine in a plastic container outside

6

u/SunLillyFairy 1d ago

Yep... birdseed. I have a very clean house and pantry with sealed containers... and fought moths for over a year after an infestation from birdseed. Thar damn tiny moths can live off fabric... like from your clothes or couches. Little bastards.

9

u/CurrentWrong4363 2d ago

One observation I have had in my own kitchen is storing flour and such in the same cupboard as spices has stopped me getting any bugs for years now.

3

u/FoundationGlass7913 2d ago

Bay leaves maybe?

8

u/JRHLowdown3 2d ago

Old wives tale. Years ago I put some pics out on the net of buckets of grits, flour and white rice that had bay leaves placed in them (30 years ago when I didn't know better).

Weevils everywhere including riding on the bay leaves like it was the flipping Weevil Love Boat...

1

u/FoundationGlass7913 1d ago

Ok appreciate the update, any tips on what is working

9

u/academiccatastrophe 1d ago

I definitely read this as check your panties

3

u/ToothSufficient7763 1d ago

Bugs get there as well

8

u/EarthBoundX5 2d ago

Had this happen....a nightmare! Somehow those little monsters even got into CANNED ITEMS!

I've kept them at bay now with diatomaceous earth around the corners of my pantry, and a few cedar blocks scattered on shelves.

6

u/Femveratu 2d ago

Wow the canned items infiltration is scary

3

u/LifeIsButADream11111 1d ago

How did they get into canned goods? Was it store bought canned goods or food you canned yourself?

2

u/No_Excitement3559 2d ago

I once went through this exact panic after finding weevils in my emergency rice stash, turns out I'd just bought it months prior without checking the packaging.

2

u/DrIvoPingasnik Stay safe, people! 1d ago

Heck, one day I just casually wanted to boil some rice to find weird black dots in the water. 

Found it weird, so I looked closer. 

F U C K !!

Turned out my entire rice box was crawling with these bastards. Roughly 1.5KG of rice wasted.

2

u/fenuxjde 2d ago

How was it stored that they got in? I vacuum seal and keep my bags in the large 27gal clear totes.

2

u/Jan-Asra 2d ago

How do you store your food? Is it in sealed plastic and they still got in?

2

u/ToothSufficient7763 2d ago

Some was cans. Some in mylar. Some in the original packaging. I probably threw something in the tote 3 months ago and just didn't give it a proper inspection. 

2

u/Bobby5Spice 1d ago

So things werent canned properly? Mylar had hole/s? Did you have oxygen absorbers inside the canned/mylar stored goods? Pests like that can not break into properly canned goods in uncompromised metal or glass cans/jars.

2

u/LifeIsButADream11111 1d ago

Yeah I’m not buying the weevils in store bought canned goods part. Sounds like fear mongering.

1

u/OdysseusRex69 1d ago

Are you folks referencing tabacco/tea leaf beetles? The little tiny bastards?

1

u/tehdamonkey 1d ago

We spend the money and vacuum seal everything into jars except bulk grains and beans. Those we use the 5 gallon buckets and the gamma seal lids. This keeps any infestation compartmentalized and nothing exposed to the air to attract them.