Flour - what are these black things?!

[GU24Mum]

Very boring thread, apologies!

I've found black bits (insects?) in a new carton of flour. Before I throw it out which is what I've done to the ones in the past, is there actually a problem with it or does all flour have this? I was going to make a cheese sauce and last time I did, the next day, the surface of the sauce was pretty black so I'm reluctant to waste the cheese & milk if the flour definitely has something wrong with it.

If it does, I'm really stumped as we've cleaned the cupboard out several times and the flour was in a sealed container inside a plastic bag!

Thanks.

Weevils? Or mites...

Weevils?
www.thespruce.com/what-is-a-weevil-2656439

I'd say weevils too.

Flour weevils. They flourish if flour has been kept too warm.

Occasionally you get flour with mites. I keep mine in sealed containers as they can take over the whole cupboard. You throw it away if it has them. And check the cupboard isn't crawling with them.

Thanks - sounds like it's another packet to ditch.

They can't have got in though as the packet was sealed - it was one of the Homepride ones and it was inside a plastic bag!

Weevils. It often comes pre-infested, so that's how they appear in sealed bags.

Harmless, you can still use it if you want. I've been known to shake a few out of dried pasta and use it, but it's hard to get them out of flour, and I get the ick.

Flour weevil- they can get into everything- check all packets of pasta, rice, cornflour. I don't think they are poisonous but who wants to eat stuff that's infested with beetles and their larvae?
Chuck all opened papers, clean cupboard and start with new stuff kept in sealed plastic boxes or tins.

It doesn't seem to get into anything else but we've had a repeated problem with flour so I guess it must be coming in with it. All the packets are in bags and the cupboard is clean so perhaps I'll experiment keeping it somewhere else!

Thanks for all the replies.

I just sieve the flour, extra protein

The eggs can survive the milling process. Most wheat flour will develop this if left long enough . I’ve even found them inside individually sealed packs of crackers - just one pack had them, in a box with loads of little packs. There weren’t any others in the box, or the bag of flour near it. I have to assume they were infected before the pack was sealed, maybe they can even survive the baking process.

I’ve had some good results in the past with freezing flour in a sealed bag for a couple of days, before taking it out & storing in something airtight. Seems to last a fair bit longer.

I always check crackers etc now before eating them.

I was born in another country in the 1950s, my mum used to sieve them out.

If you put flour in the freezer for 24 hours before opening the packet, this is supposed to prevent getting the little buggers.

Only works if your flour is relatively weevil-free to start with obviously.
Apparently they are in nearly all flours, at different stages, and the freezing stops them developing or something like that.

I've been doing this for a couple of years now, and never had any at all.

Stick a couple of bay leaves in open flour packets keeps weevils away

Thanks for the helpful tips. Will try the freezer next time as I'm convinced they aren't getting in from my cupboard so they must already be in there - that makes sense now.

I always decant flour into an airtight container and keep it in the fridge. It’s the only way to be sure no weevils/mites will get in there. Check there are none when you decant it.

Thanks - I've definitely got to do something different as I can't cook anything with plain flour at the moment!