#remove weevils from rice

[10bmnews]

How to identify “keede” in rice or grains: Prevention and hacks to remove them you must try | - Times of India

“Chawal keede”, or rice weevils, are tiny, dark brown to reddish-black insects that infest stored grains like rice, atta, and dal. They are a common headache plaguing the Indian kitchen and can cause digestive problems if eaten. They live and breed inside the grains, feeding on them from within. You may notice tiny white larvae floating to the top when washing rice or small holes in the grains.…

[moghedien]

ok but as a white person who grew up in a rice eating culture (Cajun), hearing other white people who didn’t grow up eating rice often talk about rice is sometimes the most maddening/insane experience

[hellsitegenetics]

happy one week of extistance! funny thing, it's also been a week since I went and got my failing gallbladder removed, your first few posts were some of the first I saw after waking up from anesthesia and it made me laugh :]

String identified: a ttac! tg, t' a a c t a gt ag gaa , t t t t a at ag ata a t a ag :]

Closest match: Sitophilus oryzae ras-related protein Rab-40B (LOC115879281), transcript variant X7, mRNA Common name: Rice weevil

[ozpestcontrolcanberra]

Say Goodbye to Pantry Pests: Reliable Pantry Pest Control Services in Canberra

Pantry pests might be small, but they can cause big problems in your home. From flour beetles and grain moths to weevils, these invaders sneak into your kitchen, contaminating food and creating health hazards. If you’re dealing with these unwanted guests, it’s time to consider professional help. Canberra Pantry Pests Control Services are your trusted solution to eliminate infestations quickly and effectively.

Homeowners across Canberra, including areas like Belconnen, Gungahlin, Tuggeranong, Woden, and Inner North, face issues with pantry pests throughout the year. These pests are notoriously hard to detect until the damage is already done, which makes fast, expert intervention essential. Let’s dive into why pantry pests are such a common problem in Canberra, how to recognize them, and why calling professionals is the best step forward.

What Are Pantry Pests and Why Are They a Problem?

Pantry pests are insects that infest dry stored food products such as grains, cereals, flour, nuts, dried fruits, and pet food. Some of the most common types found in Canberra homes include Indian meal moths, saw-toothed grain beetles, and rice weevils.

While they don’t typically bite or sting, pantry pests contaminate food by laying eggs in packages, leading to spoiled goods and wasted money. In many cases, once you spot a few bugs, the infestation has already spread behind shelves, into food containers, and into places you might not expect.

Not only is this unpleasant, but it’s also unhealthy, especially if you unknowingly consume infested products. That’s where Pantry Pests Pest Control Canberra experts step in with advanced detection tools and proven eradication techniques.

Why Canberra Homes Are Susceptible to Pantry Pest Infestations

Canberra’s climate, with its hot summers and cool winters, creates a perfect environment for pantry pests to thrive indoors year-round. These insects are often introduced through groceries unknowingly brought in from stores, especially products that have been sitting on shelves for long periods.

Older homes in Canberra, particularly in established suburbs like Yarralumla, Griffith, and Red Hill, often feature less-sealed pantry structures or vintage cabinetry, making it easier for pests to find hiding spots. Once inside, they multiply quickly, making DIY control difficult and often ineffective.

To fully eliminate the infestation, it’s important to find not just the visible bugs but also their breeding sites and egg deposits. That’s exactly what professionals offering Canberra Pantry Pests Control Services are trained to do.

How Professional Pantry Pest Control Services Work

When you contact a company that specializes in Pantry Pests Pest Control Canberra, the process begins with a thorough inspection. Technicians look for signs of infestation including webbing, larvae, and insect droppings in food packaging and storage areas. They also check potential hiding places behind pantry shelves, skirting boards, and even wall cavities.

After identifying the pest species and level of infestation, the experts tailor a pest control plan specific to your home. This might involve:

Safe removal of contaminated food

Application of eco-friendly treatments that target pests without risking food safety

Sealing entry points and offering storage advice to prevent re-infestation

Most importantly, professional pest control services are designed to be safe for children, pets, and the environment, giving Canberra families peace of mind while restoring hygiene in the kitchen.

Benefits of Choosing a Local Canberra Pantry Pest Control Company

When dealing with pantry pests, choosing a local Canberra pest control provider has multiple advantages. Local companies understand the unique climate and pest behavior in the region. They’re familiar with the types of homes found in suburbs like Weston Creek, Braddon, and Kingston, allowing them to adapt their methods accordingly.

Choosing Canberra Pantry Pests Control Services means you’re working with professionals who can respond quickly, offer long-term solutions, and provide follow-up services if necessary. Plus, supporting local businesses helps build a stronger community.

Prevention Tips After Professional Treatment

After a successful pantry pest control service, it’s important to follow some simple steps to avoid future infestations:

Always store food in airtight glass or plastic containers

Rotate dry goods frequently to avoid stale, pest-prone items

Regularly clean your pantry with vinegar-based solutions

Inspect groceries before placing them in your pantry

Even after treatment, it’s a good idea to have routine checks by Pantry Pests Pest Control Canberra professionals to keep your home pest-free year-round.

Choose Trusted Pantry Pest Control Experts in Canberra

Pantry pests can cause a lot of stress, but they don’t have to take over your home. If you’re dealing with moths in your cereal boxes or beetles in your flour, don’t waste time on ineffective sprays or traps. Reach out to the professionals offering Canberra Pantry Pests Control Services for fast, reliable, and long-lasting solutions.

Whether you’re in Narrabundah, Civic, or the leafy suburbs of Deakin, expert help is just a call away. With a combination of local expertise, tailored treatments, and preventative guidance, the right pest control team can help you take back control of your pantry — and your peace of mind.

[walcoseedcleaningsblog]

Grain Cleaning: Ensuring Quality and Maximizing Yield

Grain cleaning is a crucial process in agriculture that involves the removal of unwanted materials from harvested grains, such as dust, dirt, broken kernels, weeds, and foreign seeds. This process plays a significant role in improving the quality, safety, and marketability of grains, making it a vital step in the post-harvest handling and processing stages.

Whether you're a small-scale farmer or a commercial grain producer, understanding the importance of grain cleaning can help you enhance product quality, reduce contamination, and optimize your overall yield.

In this blog, we'll explore what grain cleaning is, its benefits, techniques used, and why it's an essential step for both farmers and consumers.

What is Grain Cleaning?

Grain cleaning refers to the process of separating impurities and foreign materials from harvested grains to ensure that only clean, healthy kernels are sent to storage or market. This process not only improves the appearance of the grain but also reduces the risk of contamination by pests, pathogens, and other harmful substances that can affect both the quality of the grain and the health of those consuming it.

Grain cleaning is typically done using a variety of machines and techniques designed to handle different types of grains, such as wheat, corn, rice, barley, oats, and more. The cleaning process usually involves multiple steps to ensure that the final product is free from contaminants and fit for use.

Benefits of Grain Cleaning

Improved Grain Quality: The primary benefit of grain cleaning is the enhancement of grain quality. Cleaned grains have fewer imperfections and are more visually appealing, making them more desirable to buyers and consumers. By removing damaged or inferior grains, the overall quality of the batch improves, leading to better market value.

Prevention of Contamination: Grains that are not properly cleaned can harbor harmful microorganisms, pests, and toxins that may pose health risks. Cleaning grains helps reduce the risk of mycotoxins (such as aflatoxins) and the spread of pests like weevils or rodents. It also reduces the chances of cross-contamination with other crops, ensuring that grains meet food safety standards.

Increased Storage Life: Impurities in the grain, such as moisture, dust, or broken kernels, can create an environment conducive to mold growth, pests, or spoilage during storage. Clean grains have a lower moisture content and are less likely to deteriorate, resulting in a longer shelf life and fewer losses.

Better Milling Efficiency: When grains are cleaned, the milling process becomes more efficient. Clean grains result in higher yields of flour, oil, or other byproducts, as there is less wastage during processing. Cleaned grains also improve the consistency and texture of the final product.

Higher Market Value: Clean grains fetch higher prices in the market because they are considered safer, healthier, and of superior quality. This can significantly boost profits for farmers, especially when dealing with larger harvests.

Techniques and Equipment Used for Grain Cleaning

Air-Screen Cleaners: Air-screen cleaners are one of the most commonly used machines for grain cleaning. These machines use a combination of air flow and vibrating screens to separate lighter impurities like dust and chaff from heavier grains. The air helps to lift the lighter particles, while the screens sift out larger debris, such as stones and broken kernels.

Gravity Separators: Gravity separators use gravity to separate grains based on their size, shape, and density. This technique is particularly effective for removing lighter or broken grains and foreign seeds from the batch. Gravity separators work by passing grains over a vibrating table, where heavier grains move to one side, and lighter particles are carried away.

Seed Cleaners: Seed cleaners are specialized machines used to clean seeds before planting. These machines use a series of sieves, air blasts, and brushes to ensure that only the best seeds are selected for sowing, free from weeds, debris, and damaged seeds.

Destoners: Destoners are designed to remove stones and other heavy impurities from grain. These machines use vibration and airflow to separate grains from stones, dirt, and other debris that are heavier than the grain itself. Destoning is particularly important for crops like rice, wheat, and barley.

Seed Grading Machines: Seed grading machines separate grains by size and weight. By sorting grains into uniform sizes, these machines ensure that only the highest quality grains are selected for further processing. This step is particularly important for crops like corn and wheat, where size consistency plays a major role in milling and processing efficiency.

Hand Cleaning: In smaller-scale operations or situations where specialized equipment is not available, grains may be cleaned by hand. This is a labor-intensive method where workers manually remove visible impurities, such as stones, dirt, and damaged grains. While this process is time-consuming, it can still be effective for small batches.

How Grain Cleaning Impacts Agriculture

Healthier Crops and Consumers: The cleaning process ensures that grains are free from harmful pathogens and contaminants, reducing the risk of foodborne illnesses. Clean grains are essential for human and animal consumption, as they promote better health and safety.

Efficient Use of Resources: Grain cleaning helps maximize the efficiency of resources by ensuring that only healthy and viable grains are harvested, stored, and processed. This reduces waste and ensures that the yield from each harvest is fully utilized.

Sustainable Farming Practices: Grain cleaning is also aligned with sustainable farming practices. By removing impurities, farmers can minimize the need for additional pesticides or chemical treatments, reducing the environmental footprint of farming. Clean grains also store better, reducing the likelihood of spoilage and unnecessary waste.

Reduced Risk of Pest Infestation: Cleaning grains helps eliminate pests that can spread to other crops or storage facilities. By removing damaged or infested grains, the cleaning process contributes to preventing further contamination and loss.

Conclusion

Grain cleaning is an essential part of modern agricultural practices that ensures the health, safety, and quality of the final product. From improving the overall quality of grains to increasing shelf life and market value, cleaning has numerous benefits for farmers, millers, and consumers alike. By investing in the right equipment and methods for grain cleaning, farmers can optimize their yields, reduce contamination, and enhance the profitability of their crops.

In the end, grain cleaning is not just about getting rid of dirt and debris—it's about creating a safer, healthier, and more efficient agricultural system that benefits everyone from the farm to the table. Whether you're cleaning grains for sale or storage, this vital process ensures that only the best-quality grains make it to the market, promoting better food quality and sustainability in the agricultural industry.

[john9028]

Phosphine Fumigation Market size,share, trends and demand Analysis 2033

Phosphine fumigation is a very cost efficient and simple way of disinfestation of insects and pests in bulk commodities. This chemical compound can also be used as curative pest control solution. The fumigation proves effective when applied for bulk quantity of insects such as beetles, weevils, mites, and moths. The insects infest the grain in bulk quantities such as cocoa, rice, nuts, animal feed and raw material used in food and feed manufacture. The phosphine fumigation is a universally accepted treatment for disinfestation and it removes the life cycle stages of the insect. With technological advancement and rising availability of mode of application the phosphine fumigation market is gradually holding the grip of fast growth. Constant change in climate is spoiling the stored food grains which is a boosting factor for phosphine fumigation market. Grains does not require fumigation for the initial first year. However, in-case the grains need to be exported then they require to undergo a fumigation process due to humidity present in the ware house. One of the driving factors of the fumigation is due to its potential to penetrate every grain to avoid from decaying. Read More: https://wemarketresearch.com/reports/phosphine-fumigation-market/2

[ufeelhigh7posts-blog]

Rice Suppliers

Forbidden Rice 3. Locate The Rice Providers Never spend money in any form of rice importation without understanding that the rice importation laws and first finding out. Take time to find out the legislation which revolve round importing rice within that nation if you're planning to buy rice in bulk and then research into a country. Some countries don't permit the importation of rice species or brands while countries put a lien on rice importation. No matter the situation, make sure that you and your own rice providers can stick to the set criteria. India Medium Grain Rice China 4. Set a Safe Payment Method Basmati rice is a long-grain rice found in Pakistan and India. It has a slightly nutty taste when cooked. Because it releases its carbohydrate content basmati is popular among rice consumers. Some Truth About Rice You Should Know Conclusion 6. Establish A Storage System Rice in bulk to resell is a company with yields as high as 50%. On the other hand, this million dollar industry's success is solely based on an rice buyer understands the rice import marketplace. With these tips, you should begin importing rice without difficulty. 5. Order For Samples First Best 10 Rice Producing Countries On Earth The best form mechanism for buy rice in bulk profitably and successfully is having a marketplace. The quicker a rice purchaser is able to sell rice in bulk off, the more effective they will be at their rice importation enterprise. As previously mentionedpreviously, focusing on a market in the rice industry will help you identify sellers and retailers in buying your preferred specie of rice. Gone are the days when buying rice in bulk needed to be completed face to face. Nowadays, people use established and trusted platforms where they can meet up with rice providers from around the world and make purchases with as you can. Take your time to research the providers of rice on your platform of choice, if you're new to purchasing rice in bulk. However, you should know that you can only locate the top providers on a stage that protects buyers' attention . Rice Planting And Harvest This rice specie is also referred to as rice also has a subtle nutty taste. It is often used in Thai and Chinese dishes. According to the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), the top 10 rice producing nations in the world are: Types Of Rice Long grain rice has grains that are about three to four times the length of its own width. Its wheat composition makes it mild, separate and fluffy when cooked. This is grown in the East and Southeast Asia also is popularly known as sweet rice. It is employed in a variety of Asian dishes. As its name implies, it is particularly tacky is suitable for making rice flour and when cooked. Keep an eye out for past customer testimonials of every provider you are considering. You also need to watch out for the score on the stage of the supplier. Go4worldbusiness for instance, rates reputable suppliers using the"gold member" status. This enables you to know that the supplier has a fantastic history of dealing with clients. Make sure to get in touch with your provider to examine their terms and conditions prior to purchasing rice in bulk form them. Make sure you confirm the promises of your rice supplier that is planning by conducting background checks in company location and their business record. You can save lots of time by checking out these high rice supply companies from all over the world. Rice grains are rice species. It is packed with protein and is popular for its flavor. 2. Determine The Sort Of Rice To Publish Among the businesses that's benefiting from the boom is that the rice market. A huge bulk of the world consumes rice daily and generally, local rice production is not able to meet up to the need for rice in many nations. However, without the ideal information rice importation can be more expensive than necessary. Many entrepreneurs sink thousands of dollars in to rice importation only to incur massive losses. A good deal of these losses might have been prevented with the perfect information.

Within this article, we are going to be sharing some very important information you should be aware of before buying rice in bulk from any place on earth. These types of rice grains are significantly less than double their width. Since it has a texture when cooked this rice is broadly used for a variety of sushi recipes. Jasmine rice is a lengthy kernel which has a sticky texture when cooked. The grain rice is wider and shorter when compared to the long grain rice. This rice has a greater tendency of sticking together when cooked. Without determining that species of rice you want to import if you are looking to buy rice in bulk, then do not just delve in the market. Types of rice serve niches that are various. For instance, the Basmati rice or brown rice is a favorite among people who have diabetes or are currently looking to control their intake. Take time to study your market and determine which sort of rice holds the most promise in terms of yields on investment. Having once it arrives a warehouse to keep your bulk rice is not foolproof enough to ensure it does not go bad. There are four key factors to think about in regards to saving rice and they are temperature, moisture content, container air and storage container. The best temperature for shop grains like rice efficiently is 5°C (40°F) or under; nonetheless, rice can be kept for up to a decade at a continuous 21° C (70° F) in dry ice which consists of oxygen substituted with CO2. It's also advisable to ensure that your storage area is free of pests such as mitts, weevils and rodents which could damage rice. A storage system that is fantastic is applicable to successful bulk rice purchasing and company. Vietnam Brazil Basmati Rice Below Are Some Common Types You Can Import: This goes without saying if you're trying to purchase rice in bulk safely. When doing business on line, like doing business offline, you ought to be cautious. You don't need to spend thousands of dollars purchasing bags of rice to find out you've been scammed. There are. Parboiled Rice There are more than 40,000 varieties of rice. However, some are consumed around the globe. Rice types are classified based on texture, length, odor and colour. Knowing the types of rice available create your rice importation company more successful and will enable you carve a niche for yourself. Rice is an annual grain plant that is harvested once annually. Rice cultivation is best suited for states that have high rain and very low labor costs. Rice planting starts out with small rice seedlings that are hand planted into paddies filled with water. It requires the rice to reach maturity. Rice plants can reach up to three feet in stature and grow fast. An acre yields more than 8,000 pounds of rice. Rice is harvested with mechanical or manual methods. Thailand Short Grain Rice Bangladesh Among the mistakes individuals who wish to buy rice in bulk make is that they purchase without buying or asking for a sample. Make sure you purchase one or two bags to be sure the rice adheres to the standards in your organization place, Prior to buying a huge number of rice. You also need to check different things which are critical to selling it and the rice quality concerning cooking time. Rice samples are vital for verifying the claims of your rice provider and ensuring that that rice can be sold by you easily. 7 Important Tips For Purchasing Rice In Bulk From Rice Suppliers Around The World Wild Rice This rough textured rice is before milling causing the starch in the grain to 24, really a rice grain that goes. Parboiled rice grains are pre-cooked reducing its time. When cooked like the grain rice that is long, it's light and fluffy. Jasmine Rice These countries have to depend on imported rice to satisfy their needs.

Most entrepreneurs are tapping into this million dollar market by purchasing rice in bulk by leading rice producing countries and reselling in different nations to get a profit. Philippines The very first step to successful buy of rice in bulk is to realize that this common grain. Here are some facts about rice every rice importer should understand: Myanmar 7. Have A Ready Market Polished Rice Polished rice is only rice grains which have had their outer coating comprising bran and germ removed. It's also commonly called milled rice. Because they believe it's low in fiber and other nutritional supplements, health conscious individuals around the world are tired of rice. Long Grain Rice 1. Find Out The Rice Import Laws In Where You Are Possessing a ready marketplace will inevitably influence your bottom-line by saving you price of storage and logistical costs. The best way is by utilizing your merchandise samples as an indicator to assess the acceptability of your own rice product on the marketplace and carrying out market study. This specie of rice is quite common in the area of weight reduction. It's a rice grain that sheds its husk but has its bran and germ layers. These layers provide its common colour to it. Brown rice is full of minerals and vitamins however, takes.

Rice Supplier

[cucamonga-springs]

Death of a Dystopian: The life and legacy of J.G. Ballard - by Joanne McNeil

On the third week of April in 2009, the news included stories about celebrity obsession, empty foreclosed properties, a young medical student who murdered prostitutes, and the death of the man who forecast this media landscape years ago. James Graham Ballard died of advanced prostate cancer on April 19 at the age of 78.

Apart from maybe Samuel Beckett, no other modern writer saw his ideas proliferate across so many platforms. Ballard influenced filmmakers from David Cronenberg to Mary Harron. The French philosopher Jean Baudrillard and the American critic Susan Sontag were fans. Ed Ruscha quotes Ballard in one of his paintings. Joy Division, Hawkwind, and even Madonna have alluded to his work in their lyrics. There was an art show in Barcelona last year entirely devoted to his life and ideas.

J.G. Ballard is best known for Empire of the Sun (1984), a largely autobiographical coming-of-age novel based on his upbringing in Shanghai, where his father was a businessman, and his internment in a World War II prison camp during the Japanese invasion. For those with darker tastes, there is the cult classic Crash, a wild, transgressive 1973 novel about a community of car-crash fetishists that was eventually made into a Cronenberg film. His writing is obsessed with the territories where the organic meets the inorganic; it is absurdist, bleak, vivid, and awake to the psychological effects of media and manmade landscapes. In the words of the novelist Martin Amis, “Ballard is quite unlike anyone else; indeed, he seems to address a different—a disused—part of the reader’s brain.”

Ballard presents particularly gruesome details of his early years in Miracles of Life, a 2008 autobiography, without any sentimental navel gazing or bitterness. While interned, with his father’s encouragement, the boy ate weevils around his plate of mushy rice “for protein.” Ballard accepted the situation as it was and even looked back at the experience with some fondness. “The most important consequence of internment was that for the first time in my life I was extremely close to my parents,” he writes. “I slept, ate, read, dressed, and undressed within a few feet of them in the same small room, in many ways like the poorer Chinese families for whom I had felt so sorry in Shanghai.”

Ballard considered this childhood ordinary. “People who read Empire of the Sun have often said to me, ‘What a strange life, how unusual,’” he told the BBC World Service in 2002. “And I say to them, actually, the life I led in Shanghai before and during the Second World War was not strange; it wasn’t unusual. The majority of the people on this planet today and for most of this century and previous centuries have always lived lives much closer to the way I lived than to, say, the comfortable suburbs of Western Europe and North America. It is here where I live today that is very strange by the world’s standards. Civil war, famine, flood, drought, poverty, disease are the norms of human experience.” Shanghai is an enormous city, but Ballard was isolated there. At the time it had only a small community of Westerners. He never learned a word of Chinese, and he had his first Chinese meal in Britain, long after he left Asia. But it was England, his home for the rest of his life, that bewildered him. In Shanghai fear and hunger and violence were right in front of him; there were dead bodies lying in the streets where he bicycled. As an adult in the comfortable London suburb of Shepperton, by contrast, Ballard had to look under the surface to find the darkest parts of the human psyche.

A characteristic Ballardian situation is the set-up to his 1974 novel Concrete Island. The protagonist has crashed off the highway and onto the triangle of land beside it. The motorists, when they even notice, mistake him for a homeless person and are unwilling to assist. He is left stranded on the concrete island, and he depends on the totaled car for survival—even drinking from the windshield-wiper water reservoir. He thinks about the son he was supposed to pick up from school. “Ironically,” Ballard writes, “in this warm spring weather the line of crippled war veterans would be sitting in the wheel chairs by the park gates as if exhibiting to the boy the variety of injuries which his father might have suffered.”

Ballard emerged as a writer in the 1960s, when he became a part of the “new wave” movement within science fiction; his early novels focused on disaster scenarios created by wind storms, floods, and drought. His finest work from this period is The Drowned World (1962). The title is pretty self-explanatory, but it plays out with a sensitivity to the natural world typically absent in science fiction. When the city of London is finally drained, the characters aren’t pleased. In fact, they’re horrified. They can’t believe people actually lived in these structures and streets so far removed from nature. The “limpid beauty” of London underwater becomes a “jungle of cubist blocks [like] a drained and festering sewer.”

As Ballard’s writing matured, his unique sensibility took shape. He was fascinated with everyday architecture—industrial parks, high ways, billboards, drained swimming pools, tract housing developments, airports—and he described these places as culturally indistinguishable interruptions of the natural landscape. His stories evinced a distrust of both technology and human nature, along with an intuitive understanding of how architecture, especially in its most banal forms, affects our emotions. In the 1970s, he produced a series of experimental novels heavily influenced by the Beat writer William Burroughs: Crash, 1970’s The Atrocity Exhibition, and 1975’s High Rise, perhaps his best novel, about the chaos that emerges among the tenants of a luxury apartment complex who form tribes and refuse to leave the building.

Ballard identified himself as a libertarian. “I’m all for free sex, alcohol and would liberalize the drug laws if some way could be found to protect adolescents,” he once told The Independent. He supported both Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair, but generally avoided economic issues in his writing. Unlike most American libertarians, he considered himself an anti-consumerist. In his last published novel, Kingdom Come (2006), he drew a parallel between a comfortable mall-going society and a fascist one, with a character declaring that consumerism has “drawn the blueprint for the fascist states of the future. [It] creates an appetite that can only be satisfied by fascism. Some kind of insanity is the last way forward.” He criticized the other sort of “consumerism” too, and for similar reasons. In a 1971 essay, he asked whether Ralph Nader could ever become “the first dictator of the United States,” insisting that the question “isn’t entirely frivolous.…Inevitably, I suppose, the consumer society must produce its own unique demagogue, but this sort of dictator may well be difficult to recognize and unseat.”

In Ballard’s slapstick satire Millennium People (2003), the bourgeois residents of a gated community commit terrorist acts. They riot, clash with police, and bomb upper-middle-class establishments such as the Royal Albert Hall and the Victoria and Albert Museum. What are they protesting? “Double yellow lines, school fees, maintenance charges…cheap holidays, over-priced housing, educations that no longer buy security.” They are rebelling against, in one character’s words, “the barriers set out by the system. Try getting drunk at a school speech day, or making a mildly racist joke at a charity dinner. Try letting your garden grow and not painting your house for a few weeks.”

Like most of Ballard’s fiction from the last 20 years, Millennium People uses the framework of a middlebrow English novel as a way to parody the reader. For Ballard, as he explained to Salon in 1997, the novel is “the greatest enemy of truth and honesty that was ever invented. It’s a vast, sentimentalizing structure that reassures the reader and at every point offers the comfort of secure moral frameworks and recognizable characters. This whole notion was advanced by Mary McCarthy and many others years ago, that the main function of the novel was to carry out a kind of moral criticism of life. But the writer has no business making moral judgments or trying to set himself up as a one-man or one-woman magistrate’s court. I think it’s far better, as Burroughs did and I’ve tried to do in my small way, to tell the truth.”

[michicharra-blog]

Best weevils Exterminators Near Me

Best weevils Exterminators Near Me

Weevils get access to our homes in two ways; through the yard, and the packaged foods such as rice, cereals, flour, starches and pasta or bulk products we buy. Unfortunately, the eggs are can hardly be seen with the naked eyes, so we cannot tell if the product is a breeding ground for weevils, until they get to our homes.

Furthermore, weevil infestations through the yard may be as a result of trees and gardens. These are food sources to them, and they enter into the house through cracks, and gaps that lead inside your home.

Weevils may not be tagged as a threat to humanity, but they constitute a nuisance in our homes; they contaminate infested products with their cast skins and feces, creating more damage than they actually eat. Even though weevils do not bite, they can render pantries of food or entire packages inedible. The only good thing about them is, they do not dry or decay woods inside the house.

What are the telltale signs of weevil infestation?

Many people may not notice weevils when they gathered on the outside of the house until they find an opening and invade the home; this happens when you start seeing hundreds of bugs crawling on the windowsills and the walls.

How to secure your house against weevils

If you do not have weevils in your home, you can still prevent them from entering your home by checking and sealing any openings weevils can use to come inside. Check for the crawl space and attic vents for torn or damaged screens. Replace missing caulk and damaged weather stripping.

How to get rid of weevils

Most weevil invasion is gotten from the stored product species; one of the quickest ways to get rid of them is to discard the infested products as soon as possible. Secondly, carefully inspect items before you buy them, to avoid bringing weevils into your home.

A vacuum cleaner is another easy way to remove weevils from the furniture, and wall. However, make sure you take the vacuum outside to empty it to avoid re-infestation.

Go Forth Pest Exterminators

We can help you manage weevils, by state of the art equipment to assess, implement and monitor your home. Treatments plans are also available and can be personalized to fit into your situation. After our treatments, weevils will be unable to find their way to your house or environment again. For best services, contact us today; our agents are ready to answer all your pests related questions, and also offer you free quotes. You deserve the best that is why will not leave your place until every pest is exterminated.

[pestcontrolcompany01]

Fleas Pest Control in Dubai & Sharjah - SMG Pest Control Services in Dubai

Fleas are vectors of plague and they are distributed to tropics and sub-tropics. There are about 200 different species of fleas, which exist worldwide. Fleas are fed with the blood from host skin: people, pets, birds, and wild animals. Cat flea, dog flea, and specific human flea. Fleas belong to the group of wingless insects. They can transform germs into their host i.e tapeworms egg.

Life cycle

Fleas Pest Control in Dubai, Sharjah  passes through four-lifecycle stage (egg, larva, pupa and adult). Adult fleas feeds on blood meal before they become capable of reproduction.

Control

For inspection, contact your pest management professional, to prepare pest management plan that will efficiently and effectively deal with specific pest problem.

Rice Weevil

The rice weevil is serious pest in stored products. It attack several crops, including maize, wheat and rice. Their body color is black/brown but on close examination, four red or orange spots are arranged in cross on the wings covers. It is same in color to maize weevil but have several distinguishing features. They can survive up to 2 years. Adult female lay 2-6 eggs per day and up to 300 eggs over their life time.

Control of Fleas Pest Control in Dubai

Proper identification, good sanitation, a thorough inspection and pesticide application when required.

Flour Beetle

Flour beetle is a common insect pest known for attacking and infestation stored grain and flour. They are smaller in size and reddish brown in color. Flour beetle is one of the most common and most destructive insect pest for grains and other stored food products in silos, grocery, homes, stores and warehouses.

Shelves inside the pantry should cleaned regularly. It will help to remove small bits of food, which are important for beetles to survive.

Do not purchase a broken or damaged package. There are greater chances of infestation in broken or damaged then perfectly sealed ones.

Old and new lots of foodstuff do not mix. If old stored food is infested then red flour beetle will quickly attack the new.

Old container should be cleaned before filling them with fresh food. May be they are contaminated and cause a new infestation.

Storage units should be dry because moisture favors the development of red floor beetle. They are discouraged by dryness.

For more details visit our website: Fleas Pest Control in Dubai

SMG Pest Control Services in Dubai

Contact: +971 65680877

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[exterminatepestcontrol]

Weevil Pest Control

Weevils can harm your outdoor plants and also invade your pantry. Here’s how to stop them. Weevils are part of the beetle family, which makes up 40% of the insect world. For the most part, weevils have the same hard, dark bodies that beetles do, and go through the same life cycle. However, they stand out from other beetles because of their long snouts. You can find weevils outside on trees and landscape plants, but they may also find their way indoors to feast on grains and flours in your cupboards.

What Do Weevils Look Like?

There are many types of weevils, so their appearance will vary depending on the species. However, most of them share the same common characteristics: 2 antennae, 6 legs, Wings (flight abilities vary by species), Typically 1/8 to 1/4 inch long, Long snout - Weevils are diverse and vary widely in appearance depending on the species, ranging from dull to brightly colored.

Outdoor Weevils

Weevils can become a serious problem for your landscape plants. Look for these 2 main signs if you suspect you have weevils:

Leaves will appear scalloped or marginally notched. A large infestation may even consume the leaves entirely, leaving only the main vein. This is a sign of adult feeding, and precautions will need to be taken to prevent future plant feeding by larvae, which can cause more plant damage than adults.

Stunted growth and yellowing, wilted leaves. This happens because small weevil larvae (also known as grubs) will eat feeder roots of plants and will go on to consume larger roots as they grow.

Indoor Weevils

There are several species of weevils that thrive on stored grain. Some of the most destructive species include the rice weevil, maize weevil, and granary weevil.

Finding holes in your rice or grain is a good indicator that you might have weevils in your stored food products. This happens because female grain weevils use their strong mandibles to chew a hole into a kernel of grain to lay an egg. Then they seal the kernel and repeat this process. Some species will lay 300-400 eggs per female, quickly destroying large amounts of grain.

Controlling Weevils

Outdoor Weevils

The best way to control weevils outside is to kill the adults because the larvae are often hidden in the soil and are more protected. If you spot weevils crawling on your plants then you know what the problem is. If you’re having a hard time spotting one, then place some cardboard under your tree or shrub and shake it to see if weevils fall out. When they fall they will act dead but don’t fall for their trick.

Indoor Stored Product Weevils

Grain weevils are harmless to people, so they’re more of a nuisance than a threat. Here’s what to do if you find grain weevils in your stored food products. Throw out any food that may have been contaminated. Remove everything from your cabinets to deep clean the shelves. Be sure to throw away shelf liners and thoroughly clean surfaces. Vacuum around edges, corners, and around molding - don’t leave a single grain behind. Once everything is clean and you’re ready to restock, store food in tightly sealed containers made of glass or hard plastic.

If your pantry pest lacks the signature long snout of a weevil, then you may be dealing with flour beetles. 

For Professional Pest Weevil Control Contact Exterminate.ie Pest Control Solutions

[insightpestcontrolservice]

Everything about Pantry Pest Infestations and Control Tips

Pantry pests are known as 'Stored product Pests'. Pantry pests are a cluster of pests with a carving for parched and processed food products that are stored in homes. These Pantry Pests are most commonly found in kitchens and homes. Example for stored foods is flour, powdered milk, bread, dried nuts, fruit and more.

Pantry Pests can reproduce almost continuously as they tend to live in the food products. These insects can give rise to some generations of their type. Their existence in the home is not a sign of the standard of the housekeeper. Pantry Pests are most often get into the home via packaged food products that have been infested earlier. They can also enter your home from outside. Termite control Ventura

Types of Pantry Pests:

The most common types of Pantry Pests are Indian Meal Moths, saw-toothed grain beetles, cigarette beetles, drugstore beetles, warehouse beetles, and rice weevils.

Infestations due to Pantry Pests:

Infestations can start with a small number of insects, but their count can rapidly increase if they have easy access to food sources and a place to reproduce. Infestation can be caused in several places such as inside processing plants, warehouses, delivery trucks, stores, and even your house. Most Pantry Pests are not injurious if eaten. The Pests look ugly and the idea of ingesting them blindly is gross. But try not to eat them because some of them carry disease-causing germs that can harm health.

Pantry Pest Prevention and Controlling Methods:

Once we find Pantry Pests in our home we need to follow certain steps. First, we need to correctly recognize the type of Pest to eliminate them from home. For this, we can approach a local Pest control company for the most accurate identification.

Next is to find the source of the infestation in the home. All harmed foods must be completely inspected. Then it is to remove infested products. Items that have a chance of infestation should be captured, secured and thrown away in an outside container.

Open food items must be thrown away because it has a high possibility of eggs being present inside. By proper cleaning methods, we can reduce the presence of Pantry Pests and making sure the problem does not continue.

Vacuum and wipe down all floors, shelves, and walls and eliminate any spilled food particles. We need to check cracks, splits, and crevices for any residue or crumbs. Even though it is not sufficient to clean and to remove infested products, a pest professional is needed to apply a chemical treatment to specific regions.

Use hot water and cotton cloth when you Do It Yourself (DIY) to clean the kitchen and dining halls where pantry pests most probably taking shelter to breed. Prompt eliminations of accidental spills and falls will reduce the pantry pest infestation to some extent.

Call the pest control professional nearby you, if the infestation persisting for a long time. Pest exterminators will clean up all the pantry pests and will stop the reactivation to the extent to keep them away from the kitchen and dining hall.

[pest-control0]

There are several general approaches to insect pest management. When developing an overall pest management strategy it is helpful to consider all of the available options. Most specific insect control methods can be classified into the following major categories: cultural control, host resistance, physical control, mechanical control, biological control, and chemical control. Not all are appropriate or useful in the home garden.

Cultural Control

These methods involve modification of standard farming or gardening practices to avoid pests or to make the environment less favorable for them. There are several types of cultural controls; the following are a few examples of commonly used methods.

Crop rotation replaces a crop that is susceptible to a serious pest with another crop that is not susceptible, on a rotating basis. For example, corn rootworm larvae can be starved out by following corn with one to two years of a non-host crop such as soybeans, alfalfa, or oats. Crop rotation works best in larger areas where the insects can not readily move from the old crop location to the new, therefore, there are almost no common garden insect pests that can be controlled with rotation (but many diseases may be). Sanitation refers to keeping the area clean of plants or materials that may harbor pests. Examples include removal of weeds in greenhouses that may harbor mites, aphids, or whiteflies; destruction of crop residues such as corn stubble, squash vines, or fallen apples that may be overwintering sites for pests; cleaning of equipment that can spread pests from one area to another. Trap cropping is the provision of a pest insect’s preferred food near the crop to be protected; the insects are attracted to the trap crop which is then destroyed. For example, pickleworms will concentrate in squash planted near cucumbers, and the squash plants can be destroyed. A carefully considered time of planting will help avoid some pest problems such as seed corn maggot.

Host Resistance

Host resistance, or plant resistance, has been used effectively for decades to reduce the impact of pests. Some plants have physical and chemical adaptations that allow them to repel, tolerate, or even kill pests. Plant breeders attempt to use these characteristics and even improve them to develop crops that are resistant. Many varieties of important crops grown today, such as wheat, rice, alfalfa, corn, and apples are resistant to one or more pests. Historically, the development of resistant varieties was often tedious and lengthy, requiring many generations of plant hybridization. Although such traditional techniques will continue, it is likely that modern methods of biotechnology will also provide pest-resistant crops.

Physical Controls

These are methods that physically keep insect pests from reaching their hosts. Barriers include window screens for keeping health and nuisance pests out of buildings and plant pests out of greenhouses, floating row covers for many horticultural crops, and plant collars to keep cutworms from attacking plants such as tomatoes. Various types of traps can be used for control, such as cockroach traps in homes. Codling moth larvae can be trapped under cardboard bands wrapped around apple trees; the bands are removed and destroyed. Some pests, such as earwigs and slugs, can be lured to their death in sunken traps filled with beer.

Mechanical Control

Mechanical control methods directly remove or kill pests. They can be rapid and effective, and many are well suited for small acute pest problems, and are popular with gardeners and homeowners. Importantly, mechanical controls have relatively little impact on the beneficial natural enemies of pests and other non-target organisms, and are therefore well suited for use with biological control in an integrated pest management approach . Hand-picking can be used for large or brightly colored foliage feeders such as Colorado potato beetle, Mexican bean beetle, and tomato hornworm. Shaking plants will dislodge many pests. For example, plum curculio beetles can be removed from fruit trees by diligently banging tree limbs with a padded stick and collecting the adult weevils on a white sheet as they fall out of the trees. A strong spray of water will dislodge aphids and mites from greenhouse, garden, and house plants. Fly swatters and mouse traps are forms of mechanical control. Cultivation or tillage exposes many soil insects to desiccation or predation by birds.

SOURCE :

General Approaches to Insect Control

[max-industrial-microwave]

Microwave Process Grains

According to related department statistics, we would approximately waste 5% of our grain because of deterioration. In year 2016/17, a total of approximately 2.62 billion metric tons of grain were produced worldwide. And the 5% of 2.62 billion metric tons of grain is about 130 millions tons of grain which we waste. Huge wastage and grain production fell exacerbating a global food situation already plagued by rising price. How to reduce wastage become an important issue. In order to obtain quality products and longer storage time, we apply 2450Mhz industrial microwave to process grain which can achieve a good result. We adopt a lower drying temperature to dry grains. Selective Heating Microwaves heat rice grains which contain water, proteins, fats, and carbohydrate. Due to moisture is most sensitive to microwave absorption, and fat, protein, and carbohydrates has a poor sensitive to Microwave absorption so the water loss large, and others would loss less. Thermal Inertia Microwave emission and power alter can be completed in an instant. The microwave power is directly absorbed by the water of rice and converted into heat energy without intermediate medium, so the reaction speed is fast. While, the microwave control is convenient and fast, and the thermal inertia is small. High Efficiency Machine, and Quality Grain The hot air method transfers heat to the air first, and then the hot air transfers the heat to the rice. The air is required as an intermediate medium, and after drying, the discharged exhaust gas takes a part of the heat, resulting in an unavoidable part of heat loss. Microwave drying directly applies energy to rice without intermediate medium, and the energy loss during drying is smaller than that of hot air drying. Not only the heating efficiency is high and the heating time is short, but also the processing temperature is low, and the original material components in the food can be well kept intact. Speed Up Process The microwave heats the rice as a whole, and evaporation of water from the surface of the rice takes away heat, which causes the surface temperature decrease. The temperature inside the rice is higher than the surface temperature. At this time, the temperature gradient causes the direction of the moisture transfer driving force to go from inside to outside. On the other hand, during the drying process, the moisture on the surface of the paddy is continuously evaporated, the surface humidity is low, the internal humidity is high, and the direction of the moisture transfer driving force caused by the humidity gradient is also from the inside to the outside. The two kinds of moisture driving forces are superimposed to make the moisture easier to discharge. The temperature gradient of the hot air drying is often reversed to the direction of the humidity gradient, which is not conducive to the drying.  Other Microwave Drying Grains Advantage Compared with the traditional drying method, the microwave can quickly remove the moisture in the grain with a drying effect; the microwave has a lethal effect on the rice weevil, insects, larva as well as inhibit mold growth. After microwave drying, the broken rice rate decrease, and the rice yield and whole polished rice rate increase; the processing quality is improved; the starch structure in rice is not changed and the water-soluble amylose content is increased which help to improve the taste of rice; the content of water-soluble protein in rice will gradually increase which is conducive to water swelling and gelatinization of rice and increase the viscosity of rice. Microwave reaction can promote fat oxidation, generate fatty acids and other substances, and microwave energy can induce the production of free radicals, produce hydroxyl radicals, oxygen radicals, lipid radicals and other strong oxidation of substances, and then promote the oxidation of fatty acids and decomposition, produce Lipid peroxide, and further decomposition of aldehydes, ketones, acids and other substances, resulting in reduced free fatty acid content and improve the storage stability of rice. For industrial microwave, contact us today.Email：info@maxindustrialmicrowave.com

https://www.maxindustrialmicrowave.com/microwave-process-grains-a-239.html

[afrindexofficial-blog]

Post-harvest wastage affects the development of agriculture in Kenya

check out the link to learn more : http://info.afrindex.com/detail_1461/

While millions of Kenyans are struggling to cope with drought-induced hunger, post-harvest wastage remains widespread in Kenya due to poor storage and handling, transport, and fungi attack. Actually, Kenya is importing cereal using hard-to-come-by foreign currency to buy cereal it could easily produce. 

In 2017, Sh150 billion worth of food went to waste, tossed out or left to rot, a report that tries to track food waste has said. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), farmers lost earnings as they struggled to manage, store, and transport their produce to the market. The growers lost over 1.9 million tonnes of food, even as millions of Kenyans grappled with starvation fuelled by debilitating drought. Maize, Kenya’s staple food, was the hardest hit, with farmers losing Sh29.6 billion to post-harvest wastage, including rodents and poor handling. The harvest was also affected by aflatoxin, a toxin produced by fungi due to exposure to moisture. The volume of maize lost during this period - about six million bags - is the equivalent of what the country gets from the short rains of September to December, experts said. Kenya imported maize worth 42 billion, using hard-to-come-by foreign currency to buy cereal it could easily produce. Weevil invasion Tonnes of green bananas were also lost, with farmers foregoing over Sh24 billion in a year when the food security situation in the country plunged to a 10-year low. “We are the only country in the world where weevils compete with human beings in eating maize,” said Bitange Ndemo, an associate professor at the University of Nairobi's Business School and a former permanent secretary in the Ministry of Information and Communication. Other produce that went to waste due to poor storage and handling, transport, and fungi attack, according to data contained in the 2018 Economic Survey released last week, includes Irish potatoes (Sh19.7 billion), milk (Sh12.4 billion), beans (Sh11.5 billion), bananas (Sh5.6 billion), sweet potatoes (Sh3.5 billion), tomatoes (Sh2.4 billion), pineapples (Sh2.4 billion), sorghum (Sh1.9 billion), and millet (Sh1.6 billion). Every year, the country loses about a third of its produce through post-harvest losses and food wastage by consumers who buy more than they need, explained Timothy Njagi, a research fellow at Tegemeo Institute, an agricultural think tank. This has an impact on the country’s food security and reduces profitability for farmers. The Government has estimated post-harvest losses at 20 per cent. As part of its Big Four agenda, the State plans to cut these losses to 15 per cent by 2022. President Uhuru Kenyatta also plans to waive duty on costly cereal drying equipment, hematic bags, grain cocoons/silos, and feed to minimise post-harvest losses. “The Government will also transform the Strategic Food Reserve by promoting investments in post-harvest handling through public private partnerships, and by contracting farmers and other commercial off-takers,” said the National Treasury in the Budget Policy Statement for 2018. Fish production, is also a casualty of post-harvest losses, has also been roped into the Government’s development agenda. It is keen to establish commercialised feedlots for fish and offering incentives for post-harvest technologies. Dr Njagi said post-harvest losses occurred through poor management, storage, and conveyance as the crop moves from the farm to the market. Dr Ndemo, who put post-harvest losses and food waste at between 40 and 50 per cent, said there was a need to develop better supply chains so that farmers take their produce to market as fast as possible. Njagi told of a case of the Japan International Corporation Agency, which had managed to reduce the quantity of rice normally lost through manual harvesting by over 30 per cent by simply introducing combined harvesting machines. “Normally, rice farmers and many others, use the log and thrash method, where the rice is hit with a log,” said Njagi, adding that the grain was rejected in the market because of impurities. “The same thing happens with beans and green grams, where logs are used to remove the beans from the pods. Farmers sweep to recover the harvest, but they can’t collect all of it,” explained Njagi. Even with a good storage facility, you need good management, said Njagi. Ndemo said a commodity exchange should be created to save farmers from being exploited by brokers. “We need to create aggregation centres or warehouse where a farmer in Murang’a, instead of taking two trays of eggs to Nairobi, can take them there and be given a receipt,” said Ndemo. The receipt can becomes a tradeable commodity, he explained, noting that fish farmers should also be provided with cold storage facilities so that they do not have to resort to panic selling. “This way, they are able to quote their price and stay with their produce if they are not getting a better price,” said Ndemo. Njagi said the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute has introduced underground refrigerators where produce can be stored as it awaits collection. Njagi said good storage facilities alone were not the solution. “While some maize farmers have good storage facilities, the way they store the grain exposes it to humidity and oxygen, thus leading to aflatoxin infection,” said Njagi. Cold storage trucks are ideal for transporting perishable produce such as tomatoes and milk, but they are expensive. The experts called for scientific methods of determining post-harvest loss, complaining that most of the figures being thrown around were not scientifically determined, making it difficult for the authorities to take action. Mangoes rotting “You need to establish what loss is likely to occur and where so you can have an appropriate response,” said Njagi. He added that most large-scale farmers did not transport their crops using pit bags, instead using normal bags. Fruits and vegetables, particularly tomatoes, are transported in wooden boxes, resulting in losses. In eastern Kenya, mangoes rot because picky buyers reject them for insignificant reasons such as having spots. “It does not mean that they are not edible. They can be eaten, it is only that buyers tend to pick first grade and everything else goes to waste,” Njagi said. Such fruits can be blended into juice. Makueni County has set up a mango juice factory, which will go a long way in stemming losses.

[josephkitchen0]

Eliminating Weevils in Flour and Rice

Their little legs wriggled on my spoon. How harmful could they be? Casting my eyes to each side, I watched for approaching family members as I dropped the little bugs in the sink and stirred the flour.

It would be a long battle with weevils in flour and rice. Disgusting little insects, they’re the bane of anyone who buys grains in bulk. They can invade and multiply before the urge to bake strikes again. Weevils in flour, in my pasta … in the corner joints of the cupboards.

I’ve never respected Tupperware this much in my entire life.

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For years I stored open sacks of flour, prying apart the paper triangles then folding them back over as I again stored them in the cupboard. Who knows how they invaded. Contaminated grains from the supermarket? That plate of cookies sent by my kids’ grandmother?

Black flecks happen. When you train children to wash dishes, you deal with a lot of black flecks. I just wipe them from the bowl and make my no-knead artisan bread. But after I scooped the flour, ran off to scold my dogs for barking, grabbed the yeast I had forgotten, and returned, the black flecks sat on top of the flour. And they moved. I paused, yeast still in hand, and leaned close. Little legs wiggled beside those black flecks.

“Gross!”

I threw the weevils in, flour and all, to the compost bin and scooped more out of the bag. Weevils crawled through that as well. Nearly 10 cups of flour powdered the other kitchen waste before I dug down past the weevils. And even then, a couple bugs still crawled through.

I always twitch when I see people waste food. Scowling at the flour, I grumbled and tucked the yeast away. Maybe we’d have biscuits instead. With peppered sausage and country gravy. Nobody would ever know.

There are over 6,000 insects with the name “weevil,” many of which aren’t in the same genus. I dealt with the grain weevil, which lays eggs inside kernels of wheat. These bugs can severely damage grain stores and even love pasta and prepared cereals. They burrow through paper and cardboard containers and creep beneath narrow gaps in lids. One female can lay 400 eggs which hatch within a few days.

But though they’re gross, they’re not at all harmful to humans.

I keep telling myself that. I’ll open a new, untainted bag of flour and transfer it to plastic containers with tight-fitting lids. Then my family will help cook, returning the flour to the cabinet without pushing the lid down tight. I open the container with dismay. Not harmful. Protein and fiber. As I scoop off what I can and wash them down the sink, I wonder how visible they will be in my baked goods. If they stick in my teeth, will they look like pepper or will the little legs show? Perhaps I should bake a chocolate cake, just to be safe.

For a while, I had control over them. I’d by 25-lb bags of flour because 25-lb bags are one of the most economical. Knowing my family would neglect to secure lids, I portioned the flour among half-gallon mason jars and sealed them within the oven, one of the food preservation examples acceptable for dry goods. I stored all jars in the canning room except for the one currently in use. And after I scooped out my flour, I twisted the metal ring down tight.

Then someone gave me a 50-lb bag of rice. I had wheat weevils in flour. No problem. The rice didn’t sit long in its factory packaging and I never saw weaknesses in the bag. When I separated the rice into 2-cup portions and vacuum sealed them in Food Saver bags, I congratulated myself on staying ahead of the weevils.

Until I made rice.

I cut open the bag and dumped it into the hopper of the rice cooker. As I added water, I noticed tiny flecks of rice rising to the top. Is it…no, it couldn’t be. Then a grown weevil rose to join its white larvae offspring. Apparently I had rice weevils, which are in the same genus as wheat weevils but a slightly different species.

Shuddering, I listened to the guests conversing in the living room as I poured the water off as quietly as I could. Most of the bugs and larvae flowed off into the sink. Two more times I rinsed the rice, stirring it with my hands to bring any bugs up to the surface. When nothing else floated on the top and I saw no black flecks among the rice, I proceeded to cook it. Before serving, I stirred the rice and looked close. No black flecks. I sighed in relief, pulled my face into a guest-pleasing smile, and called everyone to dinner.

With each incident, I learned more. I wanted to tell my friends how to avoid weevils.

Freeze the flour for four days after you bring it home, to kill any bugs or eggs that may be present. If you have the space, store your food in the freezer full-time.

Keep flour in containers with tight-fitting lids and use the flour often to keep it fresh.

Place a bay leaf in the flour to deter bugs.

Bake your grains in the oven at 120 degrees for an hour. This will kill both eggs and live weevils in flour and rice.

If you get bugs, remove food from the cupboards and wash the cupboards with soap and water. Finish with a little eucalyptus oil to repel new visitors. If you can afford to, throw away infested food or give it to your chickens.

Since these critters live in your food, avoid pesticides. Pyrethrins and diatomaceous earth are non-toxic options but never apply these directly to your food.

Remember that we have probably all eaten weevils in flour or baked goods. Eggs, a piece of a leg, in our cookies and breads. It doesn’t hurt us and it’s pretty unavoidable.

But to educate my friends, I’d have to confess that I had weevils. They’d never eat my banana bread ever again.

Or perhaps they have weevils as well and are ashamed to admit it. Listen, dear friends. Weevils are nothing to be ashamed of. They’re disgusting and highly contagious between pantries, but having these bugs doesn’t mean you have an unclean house. It means you have grains. And that you need to store your dry goods correctly.

I’m happy to say I’m now 6 months weevil-free…

Nope. Apparently not. Because, though my flours, rice, and pasta are now vacuum sealed or packed in mason jars, tidbits of grain still lurked.

I was making cheesecake. Thick, white, flour-free cheesecake. And I had a feeling I should have used the stand mixer, but instead I grabbed the handheld unit that sat in the cupboard beside the baking ingredients. I never thought about the tidbits of dough and flour that fly up into the gears; it’s just dust and a drop or two of liquid. Nothing to worry about. But as I inserted the beaters into my cream cheese and eggs then turned the mixer on, centrifugal force sprayed black weevils into my bowl. The beaters immediately folded them into the cheese. My forehead tapped against the cupboards. Unless I could chop some fresh blueberries into the cheesecake, those black flecks wouldn’t go unnoticed. Carefully folding through the batter, I picked out little bugs. The process took twice as long as the entire construction of the cheesecake.

Looks like it’s time to clean the cupboards again.

Do you have any good solutions to keep weevils at bay?

Eliminating Weevils in Flour and Rice was originally posted by All About Chickens