Granary Weevil/Wheat Weevil In My Rice! Please Advise

[farang000999]

I am currently in the USA and have a very large supply of very delicious jasmine rice (I am one of those people who loves stocking up/learning my lesson now). it was in the pantry which was attacked by these little bastards which i am certain arrived in a package of noodles or spaghetti, not the jasmine rice itself.

apparently they live in the grain/wheat and lay eggs in it.

i have several bags of rice and they are inside there. but what i am wondering is how much damage they can do to the jasmine rice which is quite hard and will they lay eggs in it?

how should i get rid of them?

will freezing the rice effect it negatively? will it kill them?

wife is suggesting that we put kaffir (bi-ma-grut) leaves inside the bags and put it in the hot sun every day and that they will leave on their own.

thanks.

[MJCM]

Your wife is right, we also get rid of them by putting the rice in the Hot sun

After that use as normal, but rinse a bit more.

Edited July 13, 2012 by MJCM

[Thaddeus]

will freezing the rice effect it negatively? will it kill them?

I bought a bag of rice a few weeks ago that I later noticed had little black things moving around in it.

Stuck the bag in the freezer for a day and they stopped moving, to my taste it hasn't adversely affected the rice.

[Pond Life]

Keep your rice in an air tight container, put a small bag of Neem leaves in there with it ( Thai Name Sadao).

[IsaanAussie]

Do you know what most Thais call those little buggers?...... Protein

[paulchiangmai]

Take a good look at the bags of rice in all of the supermarkets, probably 25% of the bags have these weevils in them, one of my favourite passtimes while the wife is shopping is standing there looking at the bags and seeing how many have these weevils in them. It is beyond me why the big supermarkets would buy from the factories that clearly are bagging these insects along with the rice. I am sure if supermarkets did not buy from these infested factories then they would very soon clean up their act. For some time now I have only been buying rice in the vacuum bags.

[xen]

Take a good look at the bags of rice in all of the supermarkets, probably 25% of the bags have these weevils in them, one of my favourite passtimes while the wife is shopping is standing there looking at the bags and seeing how many have these weevils in them. It is beyond me why the big supermarkets would buy from the factories that clearly are bagging these insects along with the rice. I am sure if supermarkets did not buy from these infested factories then they would very soon clean up their act. For some time now I have only been buying rice in the vacuum bags.

Looking at the other side, if the weevils are doing okay in the rice then not too many systemic insecticides or other nasty chemicals are remaining in the rice .

[Mosha]

Do you know what most Thais call those little buggers?...... Protein

Or as Captain Jack Aubrey says. "You should always choose the lesser of 2 weevils."

[xylophone]

Take a good look at the bags of rice in all of the supermarkets, probably 25% of the bags have these weevils in them, one of my favourite passtimes while the wife is shopping is standing there looking at the bags and seeing how many have these weevils in them. It is beyond me why the big supermarkets would buy from the factories that clearly are bagging these insects along with the rice. I am sure if supermarkets did not buy from these infested factories then they would very soon clean up their act. For some time now I have only been buying rice in the vacuum bags.

Don't think this is a problem with the factory packaging as have encountered them in packs of spaghetti and penne from Italy. Perhaps the little buggers can bore through the packets??

[farang000999]

This is the first time I have seen them in rice. They really ruined the noodle and spaghetti packaged, turned into something very disgusting, it was like a moldy green powder.

[AyG]

Personally, whenever I buy rice I put it in the freezer for a few hours to kill any bugs lurking in it, then transfer it to an airtight container - I'd rather not wait until I can see the weevils. Freezing doesn't affect the taste of the rice.