Bugs ate my Stockpile!

[cheapchick]

I noticed them weeks ago...a little beetle here...a little beetle there. I ignored it, told myself the change in weather was bringing them in. But there was something about these teeny little beetles I didn't like...they seemed a bit "sinister" like they were "up to no good". Hmmm...
That's when I found the source...my rice and pasta! The little @#$% were breeding in my cupboard! I didn't notice this sooner because it was the 2 little cabinets over the fridge. I keep some rice and pasta down low and then the excess goes up above the fridge. I took everything out of all my cabinets, washed inside, and sprayed. The worst off box was a package of Rice-A-Roni. When I opened it they poured up the sides. Good thing I'm not freaked out by bugs. I was able to take a good look at what I was up against...Flour Beetles and Psocids! I had to open every box and then toss the infested product and repackage the good stuff in Ziploc bags and containers. I lost 13 boxes of rice and 8 boxes of pasta! I emailed Rice-A-Roni and I wasn't expecting more than a voucher for a box or 2 but they wrote back and said they were sending me a an American Express Giftcard! They didn't say how much but I guess it's to cover the 20 boxes of stuff I lost...?

"We understand how unpleasant it would be to find insects in the product you purchased, and we are sorry you had this experience with Rice-A-Roni Broccoli Au Gratin.

Our plants and distribution centers utilize many different means to keep insects out of products as we package them and while they are stored under our control. Insects can bore into sealed packages or enter at any tiny hole or seal crevice. We would never knowingly allow infested product to leave the manufacturing facility. Unfortunately, infestation can occur at any point after it leaves our plant despite all of the precautions that we take to prevent it.

We realize that there are often differences of opinion regarding the primary source of infestation which contributed to pantry loss. Nearly all dried food products are susceptible to insect infestation, including cereal products (flour, cake mix, cornmeal, rice, spaghetti, crackers, and cookies); seeds such as dried beans, popcorn, nuts; chocolate, raisins and other dried fruits, spices, powdered milk, and cured meats. We cannot be sure that the infestation started with Rice-A-Roni Broccoli Au Gratin, but that does not diminish our concern for your personal experience.

As a goodwill gesture, I have mailed you an American Express gift card to compensate you for your loss. Please understand this is not an admission of liability but an attempt at a fair resolution of this matter."

But I wanted to warn everyone so this doesn't happen to you: My stockpiling cost me so don't let it cost you! Insects and eggs are present in the foods we eat (that is a given) but don't give them a chance to breed. Even if the food has no bugs when you buy it there are bugs in our houses that can infest the food. Ever hear of psocids? I'm familiar with them because I like to read up on bugs and used to find them in my hermit crab tank. Every house has them...believe me they are there...most people never notice them cuz they are about the size of a grain of sand. I've seen them on wood furniture, in the basement, outside, and yeah like I said in the hermit crab tank...they loved that tank cuz it was so warm and humid. From now on I'm Ziploc-ing my rice and pasta. If you've noticed Rice-A-Roni, Uncle Ben's, and most boxed pastas are loose in the box. Plus the boxes aren't glued all the way around. That makes easy access for bugs to get in or out!

Here's some info on my culprits: Psocids in home

I've heard freezing food will kill the bugs but then I've heard that really doesn't work with the beetles.

[bunnynugget305]

Thanks for the tip! I think that I may have seen them before, but now I will keep a sharper look out! Thanks!

[loveebella]

I am eating a slice of pumpkin pie and just imaging that bug in my pie uugghh I am so done w/that piece. Thanks for letting us know I will keep my eyes open :)

[cintinative]

eeew! And thanks!

You know, I had a friend who got a mouse in her house who ate holes in her boxes of cereal, pasta, etc. Yet another useful reminder to rotate my stockpile!

[CW&M Mom]

We've had these in our food Weevil - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

They especially like to come out (they hatch) when they've gotten warm or it's been humid.

[mainelycoupons]

I just finished feeding my mice that decided my kitchen counter was a warmer alternative to freezing outside or in the basement.... Had my best friend bring me pantry moths in a box of red velvet cake mix once...cost me a dozen boxes of Near East products, all my cake mix and the bisquick.
I have a couple bay leaves loose in my cupboards as well as one of those pretty pantry moth traps. Has worked well so far. Mice went through three packets of C-con but seem to have stopped visiting.

[mama22qts]

All I can say is EWWW!

Oh, and one more thing FREEZE FREEZE FREEZE! I always freeze flour, pasta and rice for 24 hours in the deep freezer before I store it. I have not had trouble for a long time. But now I'll be on ALERT when I open the next box!

[jillynoodle]

Originally Posted by mama22qts All I can say is EWWW! Oh, and one more thing FREEZE FREEZE FREEZE! I always freeze flour, pasta and rice for 24 hours in the deep freezer before I store it. I have not had trouble for a long time. But now I'll be on ALERT when I open the next box!

:h ysterical: im so grossed out, all those rice things i got that no one cooks are totally freezer bound now!! thanks so much for the heebegeebees ill keep better care of my exploding cabinets now!! ps i do think the weevils noses are kina neat though

[nanaclaire]

I was wondering about that stockpiling (I'm new) because I found bugs in my cupboard this past summer and cleaned them out and moved all flour, etc. that was above my stove. Someone told me above the stove is not a good place. So put them into lock n lock containers in addition to moving them... but then thought about stockpiling and how in the world you would keep them little buggers out!!!!!

So, when you freeze flour, rice, etc., do you just keep them in their orig boxes and freeze or move them into ziplocs, label, date, and then freeze? And when you said you freeze them 24 hrs b/f you stock them ??? not sure what you meant ...did you mean that after the 24 hours, you remove them from the freezer and stock them? Also, where do you all stockpile all this stuff? I was thinking of setting up a place in my fam. room (which is downstairs basement of sorts in a tri-level) or in my patio which is closed in here in MI but it still gets very cold out there w/o heat ...someone said I couldn't put them there... gotta find space!!!! What do you all do???

Thanks... I'm new here and just starting to learn how to coupon save and stockpiling, etc.

[gctattoo]

Ugh! I hate bugs!!

We have some sort of bug in our house that's gotten into the Rice-A-Roni before. But that was when our food was in our cabinets. Once we put up shelves in the pantry and moved everything over there, we were fine. Until the ants came. GRRRRRR.....Don't even get me started on the day I found my unopened box of Cocoa Puffs infested with them.

Since then, it's airtight plastic containers for the cereal and ziploc baggies for chips, cookies, etc. I used to even keep my pasta in the fridge. But with no more problems with the ants, I moved it back to the pantry. Until the day the bugs contribute to my mortgage, they don't eat in my house!