Kitchen is a special place. Perfect cleanliness and order are maintained here, because this is the place where food is stored and food is prepared. However, many have encountered such an unpleasant phenomenon as bugs in croup. They appear suddenly and with great speed begin to spread throughout the kitchen, climb on the dishes and travel along the shelves. Nightmare, and more! Don't worry, getting rid of the bugs in the cereal is quite simple, you just need to follow the recommendations.
Where did they come from
Don't beat yourself up for not working hard enough. For the most part, insects don't care if your kitchen is clean or not. Bugs settle in croup because it is the source of their life, the main food. Most often, pests come home from stores where products were stored in violation of sanitary standards. Sometimes this happens even in warehouses. Bugs in the groatscould have got in during packaging, just bringing home a sealed bag, you immediately did not pay attention to it. Insects crawled out and took a fancy to the gap in the closet. And already when the bred offspring began a victorious procession through the kitchen, you sounded the alarm.
A huge number of species
Of course, the reason for the appearance may be improper storage of products. Moreover, the beetles breed very quickly and capture everything that is located around. They crawl into dried fruit bags, tea bags and spice bags. Don't give up pasta. In general, you can’t hesitate if there are bugs in the croup.
How to get rid of this scourge? First of all, you need to try to determine what kind of insect has honored you with its presence. Let's briefly describe each of them, and only then move on to the methods of struggle.
Types of pests and how to get rid of them
Are there bugs in the cereal? We take a magnifying glass and diligently study the invaders. This is the only way to understand how to deal with this scourge.
The following types of bugs can settle in cereals:
- Small beetle. Most often it comes from the store along with infected cereals. Instantly hides in cracks and corners, remaining unnoticed. Can start in any cereal, regardless of variety and price.
- Red flour eater. Violation of storage conditions, rotting of products - all this creates favorable conditions for the development of the pest.
- Bread bugs. Tiny creatures are brownish in color. They lead a rather secretive lifestyle, so they can be noticeddifficult until the population grows.
If there are bugs in the cereal, then measures must be taken before the pests are too bred. Start looking for a source. Usually this is some kind of bag with cereals. Maybe he's not alone anymore.
General cleaning
This is the first thing to do if you notice the presence of insects in the kitchen. And you need to start with the lockers in which cereals are stored. All packages need to be taken out and carefully sorted out.
- The surviving cereals should be poured into resealable containers or bags.
- It is advisable to pre-treat them with soapy water and dry well.
- View other products.
- If there are signs of damage, place the bag of cereals in the freezer. Until you decide what to do with it next, such a measure will prevent the reproduction of insects.
- Crack the cracks with boiling water.
Such simple measures are very effective if there are bugs in the croup. The name of each individual species is not so important, because the methods of dealing with them are very similar. Most importantly, continue to remain vigilant even when, it would seem, the enemy is defeated. From the surviving larvae, new individuals may hatch, and the development cycle will repeat. Of course, I don't want to start all over again.
Can I eat affected cereals
This is a personal matter for everyone. Some will immediately throw away any bag with signs of insects, others will try to rinse the cereal andsort out. But isn't it dangerous? In fact, eating such a product is undesirable. If you bought cereal in the store and immediately noticed insects, it is better to take it back. So you save money, nerves and time.
Throughly sorting, washing and sifting cereals, you still miss a certain number of larvae and their waste products. It is unlikely that this will benefit your he alth. But with flour, everything is a little easier. Each hostess must sift it before use. Therefore, all bugs and larvae remain on the sieve. And after that, additionally heat it in the oven at a temperature of 50 degrees.
Well, now back to the main topic of our conversation. What to do if there are bugs in flour and cereals?
Control measures
Of course, today there are a large number of insecticides. All of them allow you to get rid of any insects in no time. But we are talking about the kitchen, where food is stored and food is prepared. Therefore, it is best to do without them. Moreover, folk methods of struggle are no less effective and do not require special costs.
The first step is to empty the contents of each package and inspect it carefully.
Rinse cabinets thoroughly. For complete destruction, it is better to do this procedure several times. You can take laundry soap or any bleach-based cleaner.
Spices will become your assistants. Arrange the bay leaf and garlic on the shelves. They really dislike pests and nutmeg.
Heat treatment
Of course, the radical method works best - collect all the cereals and throw them in the trash can, then wash the whole kitchen. And if you try to get rid of the bugs in the cereal, but not from the products themselves? Of course, each hostess has different views, but such a scenario also needs to be considered. If you want to continue to use cereals for food, then you need to carefully clean it from insects and prevent their further appearance.
If it's winter outside, it's best to just take the bag out onto the balcony. If the temperature is below -15 ° C, then only a few hours are enough for all insects to die. It is for this reason that flour is recommended to be stored on the balcony in winter, and not brought into heat. Then you are guaranteed to save yourself from unnecessary headaches. Introduce it in small portions and sift thoroughly.
But cereals are better to be calcined. Sort out the package, then pour the contents onto a baking sheet and send to the oven. Just 15 minutes - and the entire livestock will be destroyed. Now you need to sift the cereal and be sure to rinse thoroughly before cooking. Black bugs in cereals die and spill out along with eggs and larvae.
If there is no time for processing
In other words, if you planned to use the product for dinner and found bugs in the cereal. There may not be an alternative in the kitchen, so try another option. As you know, these insects cannot swim and cannot tolerate immersion in water. And if it is also hot, then this is a guaranteed death. Parallel boiling wateris a disinfectant. Therefore, a glass of cereal intended for preparing dinner should be poured with boiling water and left for a few minutes. During this time, the grains will settle to the bottom, and debris and bugs will float.
It's another matter if a large bag of flour is struck, and it's hot summer outside. But in this case, ultraviolet will help. On a hot afternoon, take a large iron basin or baking sheet outside and sprinkle flour on it. Of course, it is desirable that there is no wind. A few hours will be enough for adult insects to die or leave an unfavorable place. And the larvae and eggs under the influence of ultraviolet lose their viability.
Do not allow pests into the house
You already know what to do if there are bugs in the cereal. How to get rid of them is described above. But how to make sure that unpleasant insects no longer return to your home? Our tips will help you get rid of unpleasant guests forever.
- So, the kitchen is in order again. All insects have been exterminated. Now you need to wash all the drawers and cabinets again. By the way, a solution of vinegar is excellent for these purposes.
- Groats and flour tend to crumble and clog into cracks. Therefore, it is recommended to cover the shelves with thin paper. Stick fragrant seasonings that pests do not like on the walls on the adhesive tape.
Better yet, make food out of insects' reach. Metal or glass jars are best suited for this. Pour cereals into them and keep tightly closed. Even if insects breed in one of them, having arrived from the store, they willlimited to one container. It won't hurt to just throw away the contents and buy a new one.
Prevention
We looked at the main methods of dealing with bugs in cereals and in the kitchen. How to get rid of them, if the defeat is very strong, is also obvious. Just throw away the package. What else can you do? Ventilate the kitchen regularly and make sure that the room is dry, because humidity is the first condition for the appearance of these "guests". And of course, you need to constantly maintain exemplary order. Flour or cereal scattered on the shelves attracts pests.
Instead of a conclusion
Today we talked about simple and affordable ways to get rid of household pests that settle in flour and cereals. They are able to multiply rapidly and infect various food products. Therefore, the sooner you start fighting them, the more effective it will be. Please note that these methods exclude the use of chemicals and insecticides. If you wish, you can supplement your arsenal of methods of struggle with them, but it is much easier to deal with the invaders in improvised ways. Perfect order, vinegar and fragrant herbs, laundry soap and hot water - you don't need more to make insects forget their way to your kitchen.
