[rojaprbeca]

Can you use whole wheat flour when there are bugs in it. Where does the bugs come from

[Wondergirl]

You will never get them all out and they can carry diseases. It would be better to throw away that flour and buy new. Then be sure to keep the new flour in a tightly-sealed plastic or metal container.

The bugs are weevils. Here is an article about them with photos:

Weevil - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[J_9]

WG is right. I keep my flour in the fridge, no bugs there.

[Fr_Chuck]

You can if you want bugs in your food, sounds like a few of the restaurants I mayhave eaten at though the years.

But if you don't know if you can use it or not, please walk out of your kitchen and don't go back in it.

Of course you don't use foods with bugs in it, ( unless in your culture you eat bugs) you thow it out.

Try using a sealed container for your flour, perhaps keep it in the fridge or even freezer for storage.

[shygrneyzs]

Those bugs appear when the flour, and cornmeal, are too old or have been contaminated. Throw the flour, buy new flour, and store it properly. Just like the others have said.

[N0help4u]

The bugs are from it being not proceed like white flour is you run a chance of the eggs hatching. The whole wheat is healthier in the long run.
WG is right dump it in a clear plastic container with a good sealing lid and then in the fridge.
With the clear container you should be able to see if bugs do happen to hatch.

[willie boy]

Okay folks... it's not difficult and it's not a conspiracy. Most flours have or have significant risk for insect activity. Typically from any of several species that 'specialize' in flour as a food source.

Red Flour Beetles (sorry, not weevils... weevils drill holes in grain) or Confused Flour Beetles are the most likely culprits... if it's larvae you are finding, often times they will be of the Indian Meal Moth.

Take a walk down the bird seed aisle in a grocery store or the local Big Box store... ever notice those little moths with wings that are half white, half dark? They are the winged version (after hatching) from the cereal grain products. You may also note webbing... another sign of insect activity.

These insects have life cycles of 30-45 days in most comfortable temperature ranges... at cooler temperatures, the life cycle is only slowed down. The only way to stop it is this: after purchasing your flour at the supermarket, take it home and freeze it. Preferably in a plastic, air-tight container. Once frozen you can remove it and can store it for reasonable periods in the cupboard (say up to or past a year... flour has a very long shelf life due to it's very low moisture and water activity levels)...

Freezing kills any eggs that may be there and absolutely stops any potential insect life-cycle. But, and here's the key: those insects may introduce themselves to the flour at any step from milling to storage at the supermarket to storage at your house. Those 'flour' pests are everywhere. It's important to freeze it and store in in air tight containers. Plastic containers with snap on lids work nicely.

So, yes, I'd throw it out once you notice 'active' ingredients... but if you simply freeze it when you get home you will likely not have the issues again.

[Rook]

Having previously been a licensed pest control operator in Georgia and having taken college level entomology courses I can tell you that Willie is absolutely correct. You must take your flours and grains home and freeze them to kill any eggs or larvae in the grain. Also remember that stored product pests like indian meal moths and beetles will be brought home in any grain, especially pet supplies since they aren't help to the processing standards as human food. But still cereal, dog bones and food, many ways.

[MOWERMAN2468]

Can you use whole wheat flour when there are bugs in it. Where does the bugs come from

I have heard of people jokingly say that it is just more protein. But NO, I definitely would not want to eat the flour that had had the bugs inside the bag. Actually they are probably just weevils, or beetles and the flour should be discarded. And the weevils, or beetles come from where the wheat did. The eggs were with the wheat through the entire process. Try to buy smaller bags that you do not have to keep so long.

[Haseeb_pk]

Dear all
Bugs multiply inhight moisture and temperature. You can kill bugs but you can not kill their eggs and pupa. For home users
-sieve out all wheat flour
-throw away all remaining bugs and wheat flour, which could not sieve out
-store the wheat flour which has passed sieve.
-after 8 days, sieve out that flour again.because eggs and puppa would b converted to weevals and bugs.

If your wheat flour has no bitter taste only then you can use it other wise dump it somewhere.

Abdul Haseeb Khan