Olly Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 Halfway through a batch of biscuits, I reached for the plain flour - and it's crawling with little brown mites - what's really annoying is that I keep all my flour in plastic containers just to avoid this, having had them once years ago. I emptied this one out and refilled it a couple of weeks ago ... and the little beasts are back! What are they, and how can I get rid of them? I can see I am going to have to go through the whole baking cupboard and have a (long overdue) clearout - I can't believe they have got into a plastic container (the sort you keep cereal in) that I thought was sealed though. Now I need to run up the road and buy some more flour so I can finish the biscuits ... and maybe I'll stock up on some Lock-and-Lock while I'm there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lydia Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 My sympathies, I had this problem once. Interestingly it's the second time I've heard someone had an outbreak recently so perhaps it's a bad year. They will probably be in everything in the cupboard, certainly in any packets (open or closed). The way I got rid of them was to take everything out (and chuck out as necessary), sprinkle bi-carb everywhere in the cupboard, hoover it up after a while and then disinfect the whole thing. I'm told cornflour works the same way and I suspect Diatom would do the trick as well. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alis girls Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 i once had a fly thing in a new unopened bag of pasta. Didnt see it till it plopped into the boiling water and died. Just made a cake - hope the flour was ok as didnt have glasses on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 I don't know much about it but when I get a big bag of flour (20kg) for breadmaking I often pop it in the freezer to interrupt the life cycle of flour mites and prevent anything hatching out during the life of the flour. I believe (happy to be proved wrong) that your flour can come contaminated so even keeping in in plastic containers wont help, hence the freezing helping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjp Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 I found putting flour in plastic boxes made mite attacks worst.I also found some brands are more prone to mites than others to. I've not had mites in Morrisons own brand since I switched to that 3 or 4 years back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Chick Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 They are evil little blighters.... (touches wood) I've not had any for years.... But I went through a phase years back where they were in all the supermarket flour I was buying I hate waste too I keep my flour in bags in Tupperware containers... Not sure if it helps or hinders, but it certainly makes for easier storage when you have several different open bags of flour Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted September 2, 2012 Author Share Posted September 2, 2012 Thanks for the advice - the freezer sounds like a good plan CM, think I'll do that in future. The self-raising flour doesn't seem to be affected, nor the rice flour so I may have got away with it. If the flour can come with them already in, that could explain it as I scrubbed the container out completely last time, and I almost certainly bought the flour from the same place as before. Can't say I'm too happy at the idea that the flour could have their eggs in A good scrub-out of the baking cupboard is next, wasn't on the agenda for tonight but it could do with turning out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluekarin Posted September 2, 2012 Share Posted September 2, 2012 I too freeze my bags of flour as soon as I buy them after a mite attack a few years ago (making Yorkshire puddings, just added the milk and wondered why the batter was moving ). They even got into a box of French glacé marrons! I did a thorough clean of the baking drawer and chucked away anything edible and started again with new flour sugar etc. Touch wood I haven't had an attack since....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickencam Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 Good tip about freezing the flour, how long do you leave it in there for? i haven't had this problem for a few years, but flour never hangs around long in this house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 Flour weevils! I once inherited some from Te$co threw out all my flour (oh the waste), disinfected the cupboard and treated it with Diatom. All the flour is kept in sealed containers now and I haven't had any problems since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluekarin Posted September 4, 2012 Share Posted September 4, 2012 I leave the flour in there until I need it, but I think 24 hours should suffice. Oh, and my infested flour was from Waitrose! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted September 4, 2012 Author Share Posted September 4, 2012 Hmm. That's where I usually buy flour from. The Morrisons flour has been fine. At the moment it's all in the freezer, the baking cupboard has been scrubbed out and the plastic containers cleaned. I'm hoping this will sort them out - it's reassuring to know that I'm not the only one with this problem anyway! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackrocksrock Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 I use my flour from the freezer - it does not freeze hard and is fine in there and no mites!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clucker1 Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 CM - Where do you get your 20 kg of bread flour from? I make a lot of bread, well a loaf a day and it sounds a good idea. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redhotchick Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 I know the idea of bugs in the flour is horrid, but I heard on TV recently that the reason that old recipes say to sieve is to remove such things - not to incorporate air, well not just always anyway. It's offputting, but would they actually do any harm? I would throw away if I found such things, but maybe in times gone past people couldn't afford to, maybe it was the norm once upon a time? Sounds like Tupperware, or Lock and Lock, might not help if the eggs are in the flour Keeping in the freezer would ensure eggs didn't hatch, probably doesn't ensure that eggs aren't present! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willow Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 I buy my flour by the sack as well and have never had any problems so far fortunately. Just as well as there's no way I want to be throwing away 20 kg of flour For Waitrose flour if it was still in the bag I'd take it back. They are always very good when I take anything back at my local store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted September 6, 2012 Author Share Posted September 6, 2012 Unfortunately it had been decanted into the plastic container - because I though this would STOP me getting flour mites! I am 99% sure it was Waitrose as that's my usual supermarket, but I'd bought some self-raising from Morrisons for some reason, and that was still in the bag and absolutely fine, and I'm sure that when I decanted it there were no mites visible, as I would have noticed. Luckily I only buy a few kilos at a time as I don't make bread. Anyway, in future all flour will pass through the freezer before being put away! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 CM - Where do you get your 20 kg of bread flour from? I make a lot of bread, well a loaf a day and it sounds a good idea. Thanks. My local butchers stocks flour in normal sized bags that he buys in. He lets me phone them pretending I am from the butchers and they send a catering bag to the butchers for me to collect. He lets me have it cost price. I think the suppliers supply local bakeries etc. If there was a local mill nearby I would try there. My local cash and carry don't do bread flour. I freeze my flour overnight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clucker1 Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 Thanks CM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merlina Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 didn't know the flour freezing trick - does it affect SR flour at all? I did read (several places) that all flour has mites in - it's just a matter of how many Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willow Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 I get sacks of flour from http://www.shipton-mill.com/flour-direct-shop so far I've never had a problem with mites. Bread flour sacks are 19kg and plain flour 25kg. I don't have any connection with them other than happy customer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted September 6, 2012 Share Posted September 6, 2012 I have to say that the only flour with weevils I've had was from Te$co. I sometimes get my flour with my Ocado order; usually Doves brand, but we're lucky enough to have a couple of more local, family run mills near here and I can just bimble along and pick up a bag or two as I need it. I do a fair amount of baking, including bread, but as it's only Rosie and Me, it's no where near as much as a large family. FWP Matthews Charlecote Mill Shipton Mill (as mentioned above) isn't too far either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
