The surprising reason you should keep your flour in the FREEZER – it leaves people retching
A WOMAN was left horrified after opening her flour and making a very stomach-churning discovery.
As she went to do a baking session, she realised that her sealed flour was teaming with tiny bugs.
The woman – @tiktokkiddydoc – immediately filmed the gross find, saying: “What the hell?
“I was getting ready to do some Christmas baking and I noticed a few brown flecks in the flour and when I lifted the lid these things were crawling all over the flour.
“What the hell are these?
“What is going on? I’m never baking again obviously.
“This is an airtight container, how do these things get in here?”
Her video has racked up over 118,000 likes and people were quick to chime in with what they thought the bugs could be.
One person wrote: “When I first discovered flour weevils my soul very literally left my body.”
Another added: “Flour mites, the eggs were in the flour when you bought it.”
A third said: “They’re flour beetles. The eggs were already in the flour from when it was first packaged. They eventually hatch in old flour.”
Flour mites or flour weevils (also known as psocids) are tiny brown or black insects which live in dry foods, including sugar and sugar.
According to Flour Millers: “They are NOT caused by poor hygiene – psocids can be found in the cleanest of cupboards and cleanest of kitchens.
“They prefer to live in dark, warm, humid places – such as the folds of packaging in food cupboards.
“They live for about 6 months during which time the female may lay up to 100 eggs.
“They don’t spread disease, bite or damage property. Psocid numbers can rapidly increase in number in summer and early autumn when conditions are warmer.
“Psocids feed on a wide variety of food products – including flour – and also the microscopic moulds that develop in humid conditions.”
So how do you prevent them?
Some people suggested storing flour in the freezer to prevent it happening again.
You should also always put flour in airtight sealed containers, and keep your pantry area well ventilated as flour mites thrive in humid conditions.
And pantries should also be cleaned out frequently to get rid of discarded or expired food items.
People were equally grossed out, with one writing: “Walking to my kitchen to check my unsealed bag of flour.”
A second said: “I’m so icked out.”
