My 20 lbs. of unmalted purple corn has corn weevils in it. I milled it and then could see them crawling around. The corn is currently sitting in a small Vittles Vault. The question is, how to clean up from the infestation?
Resident Weevil
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When I grew a lot of garlic, I'd get little bugs that like to live in the bulbs. I would put it all in a big plastic tub then put a pitcher of hot water in the corner and drop in a bunch of dry ice and put the lid on. It filled up quickly with co2 and killed them all.
You could probably put a bowl of dry ice in your vittles vault and close it loosely to kill them all.
You could probably put a bowl of dry ice in your vittles vault and close it loosely to kill them all.
Freeze everything, if possible. Freezing will kill the weevils and their eggs.
You can brew with weevils - won't effect the beer/product at all.
You can brew with weevils - won't effect the beer/product at all.
wouldn't that blow the tub open from pressure? we are talking a plastic tub with a gamma lid?
If it was airtight yes. I’m assuming he’s just talking about a plastic storage tote not airtight.
Yup, i used a plastic storage tote, which closed nicely but had no gasket to make an airtight seal. It was fun to watch the vapor stream out.
If not the boil would.
The bugs would never come back afterwards, so either it did, or they needed something else to continue their life cycle that they weren't getting
Make sure they don't go elsewhere. They move ever so slowly, but deliberately, toward new food sources.
I’m figuring they’ll be stuck in the Vittles Vault. Can they get out? Is it time to panic?
No, they can't get out of a Vittles Vault with the lid screwed tight.
But you weighed and milled the infested corn, so make sure none escaped or are left behind there.
I had weevils crawling on my countertop before I realized they came from a paper bag with (unmilled) Triticale (thank you Whole Foods!). The entire storage tote was just starting to get populated with them, looking for new food. But they mostly remained inside the few paper bags with grain in there. Everything else was in plastic (Ziplocks). Our dog had already been suspicious of that tote for a few days, he must have heard them rustling.
I dodged a bullet a few days ago. I went to a Mexican grocery and bought a pound of dried ancho peppers and a half a pound of Morita chipotles. When I got home, before I tossed them in the pantry I noticed Indian mealworm moths in the chipotles. I tossed both bags in the freezer instead. From now on, any dried goods I get from that store go in the freezer.
I called the store and warned them that their bulk bags of chipotles have moths that will quickly infest everything in the dried foods section of the store but I'm pretty sure they will ignore it.
I called the store and warned them that their bulk bags of chipotles have moths that will quickly infest everything in the dried foods section of the store but I'm pretty sure they will ignore it.
Once you see a single weevil in your pantry, it's time to go nuclear.
They quickly get into any container that isn't hermetically sealed - even ziplock bags!
They quickly get into any container that isn't hermetically sealed - even ziplock bags!
You owe me a new monitor...Once you see a single weevil in your pantry, it's time to go nuclear.
They quickly get into any container that isn't hermetically sealed - even ziplock bags!
I almost broke my phone.Once you see a single weevil in your pantry, it's time to go nuclear.
They quickly get into any container that isn't hermetically sealed - even ziplock bags!
Craiginthecorn
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Here are the levels of contamination in cornmeal allowed by the FDA:
Whole insects: Average of 1 or more whole insects per 50 grams
Insect filth: Average of 25 or more insect fragments per 25 grams
Rodent filth:
Average of 1 or more rodent hairs per 25 grams
OR
Average of 1 or more rodent excreta fragment per 50 grams
Yum
Whole insects: Average of 1 or more whole insects per 50 grams
Insect filth: Average of 25 or more insect fragments per 25 grams
Rodent filth:
Average of 1 or more rodent hairs per 25 grams
OR
Average of 1 or more rodent excreta fragment per 50 grams
Yum
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Years ago, after a weevil-flour event, I began to put all flour and corn meal in tight Rubbermaid© containers. No more weevil issues.
Pretty sure the weevils came in with the corn. Not using that store again.
BTW, I decided to chuck the whole container without opening it again. It would have been nutty to save the $18 container and then fill it up with $90 of new corn that might get infested.
It's a smooth plastic container...!
Clean well, bleach bath it, rinse, then set out in bright sunlight for a day or so to UV kill anything potentially left.
The eggs come in the corn. The weevils bore a small hole in the outer shell/skin and lay their eggs in there.
Now your source of corn... found a cleaner one?
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Can't be too careful, nuke it from orbit, and all that.
Previous corn was purple and unmalted from Woodland Foods. New corn is malted from Sugar Creek, who has never sold me buggy anything. I don't have another good source of purple corn yet, and I can't make purple beer again until I do.
But, but, you already have purple corn. Don't fear the weevils... just keep em from spreading before they hit the mash.
Ah, malted corn!
I have a bag here of their malted oats. It's wonderful!
It also generates a ton of kettle trub somehow.
Yes, use the corn quickly or store it in the freezer. If you don't have enough room in the freezer, rotate the corn through the freezer in batches. (keep each there for several days for the cold to soak all the way through) I wouldn't throw it away; I might throw away some of it if it was too much to store without risking contaminating everything else.
More cowbell!
More cowbell!
Zambezi Special
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I had (have) weevils in my malted wheat. It's not easy to get here, so I packed in ziplock bags and moved them to the freezer.
I'm still using the malt, I just increase the weight a bit from my recipe and it makes quite a nice weevilly wheat beer.
I washed out the container at the end of the garden and put it to dry in the full sun. No issues there
I'm still using the malt, I just increase the weight a bit from my recipe and it makes quite a nice weevilly wheat beer
.I washed out the container at the end of the garden and put it to dry in the full sun. No issues there
Oleson M.D.
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Freeze at 0 degrees F. Minimum 3 days, 7 days is better. This temperature will kill everything.
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You guys can be so anal. Watch ALL your grains. We had weevils in rice. So last I bought (25lb bag) was divided up and most went into the freezer. We pull out as needed. All flour is put inside zip locks or other closed containers and if there is contamination, it is restricted to one container. Which I use if I'm cooking.... weevils and trash is in everything you eat. Feel not the weevil. Protein is good for you
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Once you see a single weevil in your pantry, it's time to go nuclear.
They quickly get into any container that isn't hermetically sealed - even ziplock bags!
Yep. Got me too, @passedpawn .
We should start the "Smacked The Monitor" thread alongside the broken hydrometer thread.
And "Smacked The Monitor" is not a euphemism for anything.
McMullan
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Even mother-in-laws?
Oleson M.D.
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