Bugs in Flour: The Most Common Causes And Solutions

Causes of vermin in flour

Various pests just prefer flour – due to the starch it contains.

• Flour moths: The small, silvery-grey moths grow to around 11-14 mm. Eating flour infested with flour moths can trigger allergies and lead to gastrointestinal problems. How to fight flour moths, we will tell you in a dedicated article.
• Mealworms: These are the larvae of the flour beetle. This is about 13-18 mm in size and has an elongated, dark body. The mealworms are up to 30 mm long in the last larval stage. They are yellowish-brown and shiny. The problem with consumption: Mealworms can transmit tapeworms.
• The bread beetle: The bread beetle is only three millimeters long, brown, and slightly hairy. The larvae of the storage pest are slightly larger at up to five millimeters. You can recognize them by their milky white body and tan head. Infested food does not make you ill – but the disgust factor is high for most of them.
• Flour mites: Flour mites are arachnids and are difficult to spot – they are only 0.45-0.7 mm in size. They have a light body with long bristles. Eating infested foods can lead to gastrointestinal problems, but can also cause asthmatic conditions and skin rashes. The good thing: you can smell the infestation. The flour then gives off an acrid, sweet smell. You will also find a special article on flour mites.

This is how you protect yourself from bugs in the flour

Once the flour has been infested with bugs, you should dispose of it – not only because of the high disgust factor but also to prevent possible damage to your health. It is best not to throw it in the garbage can in the kitchen, but straight into the garbage can outside.

• If you found bugs in the flour, you should wipe out the cupboards thoroughly, preferably with vinegar. Here’s how to remove any overlooked breeding sites.
• Fill flour into tightly sealable containers immediately after purchase. These can be glasses, but storage jars are just as good. You should only buy as much flour as you will use in the foreseeable future. The lower the risk of attracting vermin.
• To keep bugs out of your kitchen in general, you should do this with all starchy foods such as pasta or rice.
  We explain how to store flour properly in a separate home article. You will also find all the information about the shelf life of flour here.