# How are weevils kept out of my food? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 2, 2023, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-weevils-kept-out-of-my-food/989501 "2023-09-02T12:43:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Heracles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heracles/32/487_2.png) [@Heracles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heracles)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2023, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-weevils-kept-out-of-my-food/989501/1 "2023-09-02T12:43:31Z")
I often buy some trail mix from a well-known Canadian bulk food store. We usually bring our own containers. A few weeks ago, after having eaten most of my latest stash, I noticed that there were weevils in there. So I guess I had eaten some bugs, I can deal with that (mostly); but of course I don’t want the bugs to spread, so I threw the remainder away. I’ve never seen a weevil in this house, and the mix was in a sealed container, so it definitely came from the store. This got me wondering: how does our food supply remain free of weevils? How come I can buy large bags of rice imported from various parts of Asia, and I’ve never seen a bug in there in the past 20 years? Why, when I eat a bowl of Quaker Harvest Crunch, don’t I find insects floating in my milk? ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2023, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-weevils-kept-out-of-my-food/989501/2 "2023-09-02T17:54:32Z")
I imagine that there’s a certain element of storage in inhospitable conditions for weevil eggs - low oxygen, low temperature, etc… that largely wipes them out in the bulk raw materials. There are also fumigation processes for long-term storage. [Weevils on Stored Grain (psu.edu)](https://extension.psu.edu/weevils-on-stored-grain) For things like breakfast cereals, any weevil eggs will likely be killed and incorporated into the cereal flakes/puff (yum!) and after that point, it’s all about storing and packaging it properly so it doesn’t get reinfested. So if they come off the line and go straight into bags which are well sealed, there’s little chance for weevil eggs to get into the cereal. ---
**Author:** ![Common\_Tater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/common_tater/32/13846_2.png) [@Common\_Tater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Common_Tater)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2023, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-weevils-kept-out-of-my-food/989501/3 "2023-09-02T23:17:33Z")
Part of the problem in some cases, the critters aren’t getting _into_ the food, the larvae are _already_ in the food that you purchased. A period of hard-freeze below zero for a few days will eradicate “pantry moths”. I don’t take any chances with things like Rice, Noodles, Flour, because they are a pain to get rid of once there is an infestation. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2023, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-weevils-kept-out-of-my-food/989501/4 "2023-09-03T00:01:29Z")
Oh my God. Excuse me while I clean the pantry. Seriously tho’ where you buy stuff may be infested. Gotta watch out. ---
**Author:** ![Common\_Tater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/common_tater/32/13846_2.png) [@Common\_Tater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Common_Tater)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2023, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-weevils-kept-out-of-my-food/989501/5 "2023-09-03T01:47:12Z")
No, it isn’t like that. They are difficult to get rid of once there is an infestation, by all accounts. Like most things, prevention is always better than the cure. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2023, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-weevils-kept-out-of-my-food/989501/6 "2023-09-03T02:54:47Z")
I agree with that. But I used to get stuff at an Asian food market. I found weevils once and never went back. I think the store was infested. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2023, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-weevils-kept-out-of-my-food/989501/7 "2023-09-03T07:47:25Z")
Traditionally there has been a three-step inspection procedure in the packaging process. First the material is visually scrutinized for contamination. Then the material is poured over a textured metal ramp; contamination makes a different sound as it transits. If at any point the inspectors perceive contamination, they raise a verbal alarm. If no alarm is raised, then contamination was not found by either visual or auditory means. Or, in short, see no weevil, hear no weevil, speak no weevil. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2023, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-weevils-kept-out-of-my-food/989501/8 "2023-09-03T07:52:37Z")
> [@Common\_Tater](#): > > Part of the problem in some cases, the critters aren’t getting _into_ the food, the larvae are _already_ in the food that you purchased. Yeah, part of the ‘keeping out’ is just the rate of throughput; if you buy a bag of flour, it might be that you’ve baked bread and eaten it before the pests inside it got a chance to hatch out and become noticeable. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2023, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-weevils-kept-out-of-my-food/989501/9 "2023-09-03T11:53:38Z")
There is an [acceptable amount of bug parts](https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/but-not-simpler/i-hate-to-break-it-to-you-but-you-already-eat-bugs/) and [feces](https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/04/health/insect-rodent-filth-in-food-wellness/index.html) that is allowed in our food. We’ve all eaten some bugs and poop. That’s the nature of mass food processing. There are limits to it, but it’s there. Presumably the food is then sealed in packaging so nothing else gets in once it is shipped. If the store has food in open bins I think it is fair to be dubious of it (mainly dry goods and not fruit or vegetables but there might be some bugs in that too). ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2023, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-weevils-kept-out-of-my-food/989501/10 "2023-09-03T12:11:54Z")
So, there may be tiny, unseen weevil eggs on my food, or actual adult weevils in my food? I’ll take the eggs any day. Seems like the lesser of two weevils. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2023, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-weevils-kept-out-of-my-food/989501/11 "2023-09-03T12:14:49Z")
[“Anyone who loves the law or sausages should never watch either being made.”](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/how_the_sausage_gets_made) ---
**Author:** ![Common\_Tater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/common_tater/32/13846_2.png) [@Common\_Tater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Common_Tater)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2023, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-weevils-kept-out-of-my-food/989501/12 "2023-09-03T12:52:59Z")
Some years ago I purchased a bag of Egg Noodles, that at some point acquired signs of life within. Some sort of little orange guys eating holes and tunnels in the noodles. Widely considered unappetizing, sometimes you’ll hear people will say things like “the protein level has been increased”. I’m not so sure. Given a closed system within the bag, was the protein simply changed from the egg noodles to the weevils? Or, is _additional_ protein created via oxygen or nitrogen from the air or something like that? ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2023, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-weevils-kept-out-of-my-food/989501/13 "2023-09-03T12:55:00Z")
You are a weevil man. ---
**Author:** ![Common\_Tater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/common_tater/32/13846_2.png) [@Common\_Tater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Common_Tater)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2023, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-weevils-kept-out-of-my-food/989501/14 "2023-09-03T12:55:45Z")
You’re one to talk! That sort of bugs me. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2023, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-weevils-kept-out-of-my-food/989501/15 "2023-09-03T13:01:12Z")
Potato bugs you? ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2023, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-weevils-kept-out-of-my-food/989501/16 "2023-09-03T13:15:20Z")
Many years ago my kitchen started seeing a lot of…not sure what (I forget, I knew at the time). Tiny bugs. Called in an exterminator. Turned out there was a box of opened Rice Krispies in the back of a cabinet where the little fuckers were having a great time. Removed the box, problem solved. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2023, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-weevils-kept-out-of-my-food/989501/17 "2023-09-03T13:27:34Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > (mainly dry goods and not fruit or vegetables but there might be some bugs in that too). Also, there are bugs and then there are…bugs. > **[Supermarket shut down due to spider that can cause long, painful erections](https://nypost.com/2023/08/10/supermarket-closes-after-brazilian-wandering-spider-spotted/)** > > “The erection is a side effect that everybody who gets stung by this spider will experience along with the pain and discomfort,” Dr. Romulo Leite said. ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2023, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-weevils-kept-out-of-my-food/989501/18 "2023-09-03T13:41:19Z")
This is a bold and frankly alarming use of the word “everybody”. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2023, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-weevils-kept-out-of-my-food/989501/19 "2023-09-03T13:44:04Z")
It’s the NY Post so BIG grain of salt. Although, IIRC, one of these spiders popped up in Great Britain some time ago so, it seems it happens sometimes…if only rarely (thankfully). But, I looked into it, and that spider will do that to men it bites. It’s also probably the most lethal spider there is (or close enough) so a perpetual erection is only one problem (albeit a very painful one). ---
**Author:** ![Longweekends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/2acd7d/32.png) [@Longweekends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Longweekends)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2023, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-weevils-kept-out-of-my-food/989501/20 "2023-09-03T13:45:15Z")
The total volume of matter in the bag hasn’t changed. But the weevils / bugs have probably caused a chemical change by processing some carbohydrates (the noodles) into proteins (their bodies). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-weevils-kept-out-of-my-food/989501.md?page=2)