Identify this Pest? (Weird Mites found inside Woolworths Essential Flour?)

[Deactivated] on 17/07/2018 - 11:28
Last edited 17/07/2018 - 11:42

Video: https://www.dropshots.com/vpnwasteofcash/ then press the icon at the bottom (site is slow but vimeo doesn't seem to like me)

I am a bit dumbfounded at this time. Does anyone have experience or know what these little mites are?

Is this something inside my house or is this just inside the flour? I've looked in my whole pantry and it doesn't seem like these mites are anywhere except inside the bag of flour. The bag of flour was wrapped in a clean plastic bag, purchased in light of the pending plastic bag ban.

I have thrown the whole bag of flour into the bin. I think they either need to change the way it is packaged or I'm just going to have to buy the stuff in the plastic containers.

I am not worried about the money since it is ultra cheap, plus don't want it infesting my car if I take it back for a refund.

Hope you guys can help me figure out if I have a pest control issue or if it is just the flour… I'm seriously panicking here…

Food & Grocery

Comments

  • nocure on 17/07/2018 - 11:30

    moth larva/flour mites

  • [Deactivated] on 17/07/2018 - 11:30

    Video link is broken

    • [Deactivated] on 17/07/2018 - 11:47

      Reposted in different location. It's short. I didn't want to keep filming as the mites were escaping.

      • [Deactivated] on 17/07/2018 - 11:49
        +1

        Just upload to YouTube like a normal person in 2018?

        • singingwolf on 17/07/2018 - 13:54

          What do you mean 2018, 2008 I was loading video to YouTube like a normal person.

  • [Deactivated] on 17/07/2018 - 11:32

    Wait, I just googled it. Are flour mites really a thing? o_O

    The first article didn't show any pictures so I wasn't convinced, but I did find one with somewhat transparent looking mites.

    I can't really tell… I'm not fishing it out of the bin again to check. Mine look more brownish.

    • ESEMCE on 17/07/2018 - 13:30

      I can't see the video, but I was going to suggest flour mites. They are definitely real and happily consume anything, not just flour.

      EDIT: I've now been able to see the video, but without zoom it's impossible to identify exactly what they might be. But I think they're too big for flour mites, they look more like dust (that moves!).
      Chuck a couple in a plastic bag and freeze them to get them stationary, then zoom in as much as possible.

  • singlemalt72 on 17/07/2018 - 11:39
    +10

    weevils?

  • shamona1 on 17/07/2018 - 11:47
    +2

    You need to clean your whole cupboard out and throw anything that was not sealed away.

    If you buy flour you really should put it into an air tight container.

    • [Deactivated] on 17/07/2018 - 11:48

      It was unopened. ;-(

      I will store in a container asap next time.

      Ironically I had one of the containers ready to go soon, but it still had flour in it so I thought it would be alright to leave it in a clean bag for a few days. (Note: I don't buy self raising anymore though, I mix it myself)

      https://i.imgur.com/ViAEOCo.jpg

      The container was almost empty too.

      (Not doing that again. I'll probably buy some extra containers instead)

    • Zedsdeadbabyzedsdead on 17/07/2018 - 14:21

      You also need to dispose of all clothes, electrical equipment and furniture.

      • HighAndDry on 17/07/2018 - 14:22
        +4

        …. are you the poster who was looking to furnish a new property by any chance?

  • John Kimble on 17/07/2018 - 12:18

    You don't have a pest problem. It's just the flour.

  • myusername on 17/07/2018 - 12:22
    +2

    free fibre and protein

  • rompastompa on 17/07/2018 - 12:22
    +2

    Yep, you've got a case of the dreaded space weasels.

  • HighAndDry on 17/07/2018 - 12:32
    +1

    Please at least go back and tell the Woolies you bought it from - so they can take the rest off the shelves, possibly issue a recall.

    And since you're there, get a refund because that's frankly disgusting.

    Edit: Also, disagree with your username.

    • Quantumcat on 17/07/2018 - 18:35

      They won't recall, it is normal

  • Blue Suby on 17/07/2018 - 13:05
    +1

    When one of my kids came home after living away in less than ideal conditions of a share house) these were brought in with some left over food. Didn't think to check before putting it away and started by finding 1 or 2 moths to a whole bunch flying out one day from my pantry cupboard. They can get in the tiniest holes of what you may think are sealed plastic packages. you may have to dispose of more than just this bag of flour.

  • foursaken on 17/07/2018 - 13:42
    +1

    Weevils are beatles. 95% of people with bugs in their pantry have pantry moth (Indian meal moth), also known as flour moth.

    • ESEMCE on 17/07/2018 - 13:53

      These don't look like worms/larvae though.

  • singingwolf on 17/07/2018 - 13:54

    Protien

  • try2bhelpful on 17/07/2018 - 15:12

    Bugs in the pantry are a whole world of pain. We got some Indian pantry moth thingies from a packet of walnuts and we just can't seem to get rid of them. I throw stuff out, put everything in plastic boxes, block off the holes, clean everything with vinegar and soapy water and come summer the little beggars are back. Make sure you give the sods a good spray with insecticide in the bin, pull everthing out of where they were stored and clean everything you can.

    • Quantumcat on 17/07/2018 - 18:43
      +1

      Put all your new dry foods in the freezer for a week when you buy them, it is possible you're successfully killing them when they become adults but you keep bringing more (eggs) in.

      If you keep your pantry clean and all your dry foods sealed up, and all new dry foods going through your freezer, they should eventually go away when the adults die of old age/starvation (you can get sticky moth traps from Woolies as well if you want to speed up the process).

      • try2bhelpful on 17/07/2018 - 20:08

        Thanks. We have the sticky traps which is why we know they are there. We’ve been buying the plastic containers but it can be hard to have enough, sometimes. I don’t have room in the freezer for the dry stuff. I will try to get on top of them in winter.

  • pat_mac on 17/07/2018 - 16:29
    +2

    Weevils. Keep your flour in the freezer if you plan to keep it for any length of time.

  • [Deactivated] on 17/07/2018 - 17:38

    I half expected a picture if JW door knockers.

  • Quantumcat on 17/07/2018 - 18:38
    +2

    They are called pantry moths/weevils. This is normal, a lot of packaged dry foods contain eggs. When you buy flour, oats, anything like that, wrap it in a bag and put it in the freezer for a week. This will kill any eggs and stop them from ever hatching.

    You absolutely want to stop them from hatching and getting out into the pantry, otherwise they'll start laying their eggs in other foods and then it is a massive pain to get rid of them.

  • BobD on 18/07/2018 - 09:23

    fresh protein, yum.

  • [Deactivated] on 19/07/2018 - 14:20
    +1

    I finished cleaning my whole house today, vacuumed everything just in case. My body started itching the first day I started cleaning. Today I gave it another quick cleanup and can report no further issues (guess I killed most of those mites).

    I did some more research and basically most flour has these mites already in them. It is just a lottery on when they decide to hatch. Apparently warmer or humid environments will allow the mites to proliferate. I have had the heating up higher than normal this cold winter; so that might have contributed to the problem.

    Apparently at later stages of the lifespan, they become darker; so the mites in my flour must have just recently hatched. I don't think it has anything to do with a certain batch of flour being contaminated as people report all flour has the possibility of eggs in it, but I guess everyone should be checking before they start pouring it out into their bowl.

    To minimise the risk, you should freeze any flour you buy in the freezer first before putting it inside an airtight container. This kills the eggs and makes it generally safe to consume. You might still get a reaction, but I don't know what else we can do anyway. I think I have had some stomach episodes after eating baked products, but I definitely don't think I am gluten intolerant.

    *shrug

    • HighAndDry on 19/07/2018 - 14:21
      +1

      I did some more research and basically most flour has these mites already in them. It is just a lottery on when they decide to hatch.

      Well that's not reassuring at all…. thanks for the update though. I'm just going to have to blank this from my memory when eating baked products I guess.

    • ESEMCE on 20/07/2018 - 08:57

      As I commented above, these aren't flour mites… Flour Mites are microscopic..
      AT a quick glance you wouldn't even know you had flour mites cause to the naked eye they just look like dust.
      It's only when you watch an individual speck closely that you can see they're moving independently.

      the female is from 0.36–0.66 mm long

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flour_mite

      Clearly the critters you video'd are a few mm long each. So you either have either discovered a new species of giant flour mites or, more likely, you have something else.

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