Many people I know store their flour, corn meal, cake mixes, etc. in their freezer or refrigerator. While this does keep pests from showing up in the dried goods, it takes up a lot of room in the appliance. An easier way that always works for me is to use Wrigley's Spearmint gum. You take the paper wrap off and leave the foil on.
I had simmered down and deboned the carcass of a lovely broasted chicken for soup. The broth was perfect, as was the fresh veggies and spices that I added. Into my pristine soup, I proceeded to pour a box of rice and it was full of weevils.
I use to make heating pads a lot, but stopped for about two years. I just opened my box that had a half used jumbo bag of rice that I use only for heat pads, and of course it had the little rice bugs. It got me thinking and now my question is how do I store a jumbo bag of rice for crafts without getting bugs? It was in a new sealed tight container.
Also, if you leave a heat pad too long without using it, is it possible for that to get rice bugs?
Any time you want to store grains for a long time it is necessary to remove the gains from the bags they are in and store them in a very thick plastic container with a tight lid that seals or store them in a medal container with a tight fitting lid. If you have made these heat pads in the past the person can store them in sealed containers or even in their refrigerator to prevent bugs from getting in them.
I used to keep my crafting rice in glass jar in the freezer--like a giant mayo jug type. It always was fine. I would defrost what I needed (let it sit on the shelf) for a day before using.
I keep my rice buddies (the finished products) in a zip bag in my freezer. Then I heat them if I want hot or use them frozen for a migraine or swelling.
I have never had a problem with this method.
You are lucky if this is the only place you have these weevils as they generally infect other areas once they get 'loose'.
Truthfully; almost every grain/flour product you buy already has some type of weevil living in the package.
"They have the ability to fly and chew through plastic and paper, which can lead to food spoilage and damage."
It is always best to place newly bought containers in the freezer for recommended 72 hours (4 days) and then place them in sealable containers. You may have to purchase suitable containers but sever home products have good seals so save empty containers for things like this.
I generally always add Diatomaceous Earth (food grade) (DE) to my containers as well as my bird seed as it seems to keep my containers 'bug free'. You only need a small amount in each container and you can also use it to kill almost any kinds of household bug. This can be purchased online or in stores like Home Depot or Lowes.
richsoil.com/
