Given the current global situation, every prepper should be stepping up preps at this point. Grain products are an important staple and many preppers keep a supply on hand. Now is the time to be buying more, and there’s a good reason why.
These nasty looking insects are called Weevils. Pretty gross looking I know, but hold on to your lunches. Weevils lay eggs on grains, and we’ve all been eating those eggs, like it or not, for years. Even then, they don’t make anyone sick. The eggs really aren’t a problem, until they are. The problem with weevil eggs in grain products is that they will hatch given enough time. Ever had a bunch of insects in your flour bin and wonder where they came from? Turns out they were there all along, or at least their eggs were.
Instead of wasting a full five gallon bucket of flour, take care of those eggs before they hatch. It’s pretty easy really…just freeze them. When I first figured out where weevils come from and learned how to take care of the problem, I was freezing my flour for a couple days in the deep freezer. Right now, both my freezers are full. Good for my food storage, bad for my weevil issues.
There is a really simple solution though. I’ve timed my grains purchases to winter. That special time of year when everything freezes over most of the country. The trick is to stock up when it’s cold and just leave it in the car for a couple of days. These freezing temperatures kill the weevil eggs so they will never hatch.
Now, some of you may be asking how to remove the eggs. Simply put, you can’t, but remember as I mentioned above, you’ve been eating those eggs all your life, but may not have even been aware. They pose no threat to your health, alive or dead, but hatched weevils will ruin a stockpile of food in no time.
So, if you’re getting to the point where you need to replenish any grain products, do it sooner than later. It is after all, getting warmer out there and the freezing temperatures will soon be gone, at least for a little while.