[kev]

Ok, for you people that buy bulk beans and flour, how are you killing the weevil eggs?

Several months ago my wife opened a bag of beans that had not been frozen, only to find several weevils crawling around.

Since then I have started deep freezing all of my bags of beans before they go into storage. From what I understand, freezing the beans for a few days kills the weevil larvae. Some of my beans stay in the freezer for a month, or until I think about moving them into storage. The rice and beans are usually moved to the cabinets when I buy some ribs, chicken or steaks and need the freezer space. Because of my limited freezer space, all I buy is the 1 - 3 pound bags of beans and rice. Its not that I have a small freezer, its just full of deer meat.

So, how do you freeze 25 pound bags of beans? Or do you vacuum seal everything? Weevils in the beans and flour is a serious consideration that should not be over looked.

 

[LaserCool]

Put them into a 5 gal food grade bucket on top of some dry ice. The CO2 will force out the oxygen, and kill the weevils. Then seal the top after the ice evaporates. When the eggs hatch, they'll die too.

The poor man's oxygen absorber.

 

[Reddirt]

I always vacuum pack it,and then throw it in the freezer for a couple of days.

 

[splat]

I fit 80lbs of my rice in my beer fridge freezer at once I had to empty it first, and put my other 20lb bag in the wifes freezer to get my 100lbs done....Then I did the bucket/mylar bag/oxygen absorber thing.... The next thing Im going to do is put some buckets together with some smaller bags of rice/beans/flour/etc in. Probably like 2lbs each vac sealed with oxygen absorbers.... That way I dont have to open a bucket with 30lbs in it till things get really bad.

 

[Run N Gun]

i freeze my rice and beans for about 4-7 days, then store them.

 

[scarcherpilot]

When we buy large bags, we tend to break them down into smaller Zip lock bags and then freeze them as room permits. By zip lock bags, I mean the larger kind, not those little one. It makes using them easier too.

I have also heard Bay leaves in the rice and beans can make weevils not want to be in there. Saw it on a video.

 

[mgd_only]

I freeze mine in the deep freezer. I plan to start puting them in gallon size zip loc bags. While sealing them in CO2 "dry ice method". Followed by going into the deep freezer for 5 days. Then into a rubbermaid container stored in the dark cool basement.

 

[wynturmute]

are weevils inedible?

 

[Texcam]

are weevils inedible?

I read this on wikipedia not sure if it is valid so you may need to research further.

If ingested, E. coli infection and other various diseases can be contracted from weevils, depending on their diet.

 

[alpha43au]

mylar bags + o2 absorbers.
Or 20L water containers, filled with rice or wheat, then o2 absorbers. This sucks the sides of the containers in a little, but they are still stackable.

Seems to work well.

 

[unzenful]

I read a study on the internet...(take it for what it's worth.) That freezing had the lowest percentage of loss due to weevils then the CO2 method or the bay leaf method. The weevils hatched but did not eat anything before dying, while with the CO2 they had time to hatch and eat a percentage of food. I cant seem to find this study but will continue to look for it. Also I have read that you may actually end up with moisture from the use of CO2 in your buckets. While I use em....2 liter bottles actually allow air in that is why mylar is the preferred way to store for the metal in mylar actually keeps any air from entering the container. +1 for the O2 absorbers with the mylar.

 

[msc]

I repackage rice into freezer bags, then vac seal (leave the freezer bag partly open inside the vac seal bag) and place it in the freezer for five days. I vac seal flour and sugar in their five pound bags and also freeze. Salt in it's box - same. For food like Bisquick or cake mix, etc., which is in a bag inside a box, I either snip a tiny hole or two in the original bag or repack into a freezer bag, then vac seal it, freeze and place it back in it's original box. I've opened five year-old flour, etc., and it has been just fine. I've never had any insects in dry goods.

Oh, with Bisquick mix, I add two Tablespoons of dry milk powder to every one cup of Bisquick mix before freezing/storing, so when it is time to actually make biscuits, all I need to add is water.

 

[splat]

I have read a few places that the "bay leaves" is an old wives tale.....And it doesnt do anything...

 

[vegasrandall]

bay leaves is what we put in dry goods(flour,beans,etc.) when i was a bluewater yacht sail boater.kept the bugs out and enhanced the flavor a bit

 

[riverrat]

I am freezing items, then sealing them in mylar with O2 obsorbers.

 

[LaserCool]

I don't have a deep freezer I can dedicate tot he project. Sadly, I'm stuck with CO2 or O2 absorbers. I can pick up dry ice for $1/lb at the grocery store, so that's my method of choice.

YMMV