# worms in rice?



## MisaGoat

I had a big bag of rice from Costco and when I went to get rice out I found a worm. I threw out the bag of rice.

Is there anything I can do to prevent this or treat it?

Part of me is wishing I had returned the bag of rice because a month or so ago my FIL said he had worms in his rice from Costco. He lives in VA and we live in NJ so it isn't like there was a bad batch of rice at one store.


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## Denvergirlie

In the store you will want to check the bags for any signs of small tears.

In the future, freeze the rice (pasta, flour, cereals, oats, pancake mix, any packaged shelf stable pantry items as well) for a few days to kill any bugs in it.


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## MaShroom

Oh that is just maddening isn't it?

I just cleaned out our pantry because the meal moths had gotten into it. There were these little maggot looking larvae things in the rice among other things. We live in the country and bugs abound out here, it's hard to keep ants and moths out of our food. Not to mention the mice.







:

A friend of mine is giving me her old freezer so I can keep my dry goods safe from the little vermin. I think if you keep things in glass or plastic jars that will help keep things out. They go right through plastic or paper packages, as I found out the hard way. I've been freezing new bags of rice for at least 24 hours (like you do with flour to kill the weevils) just as an extra measure. I don't know if that helps, but I figure it can't hurt.

Btw, instead of throwing out all of my ruined rice, I'm picking out the ickies and making rice bags to heat up in the microwave for the cold nights ahead. Those rotten little worms aren't going to get the best of me...


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## sassafrass94

Eeeesh! I know! My favorite time was pouring rice in the pan ,adding stock, and noticing the "floating rice" had head ends! Bleck. It was the last of the rice, too. It's so easy to bring home the mealy moth larvae- especially with bulk items. I agree with the "freeze it " advice. I've got a few bags of rice and flour in the freezer right now. (Also, look for webby looking areas in the bags that looks like they have a little static cling- dead giveaway of mealy moths)








Even though you threw away the bag- maybe you could still mention it to Costco. Perhaps they are already aware of a problem with that rice and, if others complained, they may be willing to give you a credit anyway. Worth a try...


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## Poddi

When I was little if we got those mom just washed the rice many times until it's perfectly clean. It didn't taste any different. I do think the freezing first thing is preferred.







You can leave them outside for the bird instead of dumping it into the garbage.


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## Sailor

I've had this happen twice with my flour (not at Costco, though, at another store).

The third time I went, I got my bag of flour, and, at the check out, I asked the cashier if I could open it. I told her about the bugs from last time. I said that I would buy it - once opened, if there were no bugs. And, if there were bugs, they wouldn't sell it anyway.

She told me to go ahead.

So, now, this is what I do. I open the flour in the store and check. But, I only open the one I will buy - unless I find bugs, of course.


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## laohaire

Can you really not eat rice if you found a worm in it? I mean, I understand the ick factor, but there are bugs in food, that's just the way it is. Does it ruin the rice, is it dangerous to eat? I probably would have plucked out the worm and made the rice.


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## Denvergirlie

Quote:


Originally Posted by *laohaire* 
Can you really not eat rice if you found a worm in it? I mean, I understand the ick factor, but there are bugs in food, that's just the way it is. Does it ruin the rice, is it dangerous to eat? I probably would have plucked out the worm and made the rice.

It does not ruin the rice, it just ups the protein content of such rice! As you stated their are bugs in food, actually that a good thing as bugs tend to gravatate to good food, never will find them in conventionally grown lettcue, but find them within the leave of organic lettcue.

If one does freeze their rice, flour, etc, the bug is still there, it's just no longer alive. For flour I just sift before use, rice normally just gets cooked as is.


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## sanguine_speed

I need to get over my phobia of bugs.

I may never eat rice again.


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## applecider

I had bugs in my rice from Costco once too, but I didn't know if it was before or after I got it home. It had been opened at home, and then folded up with a clothespin. So now I store my rice in sealed glass jars. Nothings getting in there!


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## sunflower.mama

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sanguine_speed* 
I need to get over my phobia of bugs.

I may never eat rice again.


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## Sailor

Quote:


Originally Posted by *laohaire* 
Can you really not eat rice if you found a worm in it? I mean, I understand the ick factor, but there are bugs in food, that's just the way it is. Does it ruin the rice, is it dangerous to eat? I probably would have plucked out the worm and made the rice.

Well, in the case of my flour, it wasn't one worm - but lots of tiny wiggling worms. They were alive, there were a lot of them, and they contaminated my whole pantry (I didn't open the flour until 2 weeks after I had purchased it, so I didn't know it was filled with bugs).

If it was just one worm - yea, I'd have plucked it out and not cared. After all, with flour, I bake - so all germs will die.

Rice is a different story for me as I'm into raw foods, and I "sprout" (though rice doesn't actually sprout) it as opposed to cooking.

So, now, I just open in the store. Just to be on the safe side!


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## MisaGoat

Thanks for all the replies.

It was just stored in the bag in the pantry. I should probably put it in sealed containers. I think I was more worried about a bug infestation than eating a few cooked worms.

I didn't know about the freezer trick though. It probably means I have been eating worm eggs my whole life


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## lillian

we buy organic rice in bulk and we frequently have larvae in them. i know it seems gross, but i just skim off the floaters.. if it is really bad then i toss it. over the summer it is very hard to keep pantry moths out of our house. rice infestation seems to be the easiest to deal with - forget about flax meal or old boxes of cereal/crackers. yuck.


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## vanauken

I don't know what kind of worms they were, but we get pantry moths occasionally out here, and their larvae get in the rice. Here's what I do: when I put the rice into the boiling water, I take a minute or two and skim out all the larvae because they (sorry, gross) float to the top of the boiling water. I get most of them, and I figure what's left is just extra protein.









I was told pantry moths and their larvae aren't dangerous. Don't know if it's true, but it hasn't hurt us yet.







Anyway, it keeps me from throwing out food.

If it is pantry moths, btw, they can chew through plastic bags.


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## sassafrass94

Quote:

Can you really not eat rice if you found a worm in it? I mean, I understand the ick factor, but there are bugs in food, that's just the way it is. Does it ruin the rice, is it dangerous to eat? I probably would have plucked out the worm and made the rice.
My husband is pretty convinced that bugs/worms will be the food of the future. I don't know if I'm willing to step into that future just yet... but it's not going to make us sick to eat a few worms in our rice. Just a little psychologically painful...


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## Jackies Ladybug

i store all my dry goods in glass and metal, plastic and paper can be chewed through by bugs and thats no good.

freezing is good, but it doesnt keep the bugs from getting in, it just kills the ones that are there which can sometimes lead to mold from the bodies rotting







:

i usually just put my rice in a glass jar and when i see a hatched bug i scoop it out, that way nothing stays in to be able to rot which is YUCK!

good luck, it can be traumatizing the first time you notice bugs in your food, but it really is not big deal!


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## Shahbazin

To be honest, my dad worked in the food industry, & there's "allowable amounts" of contaminants in food; so many bugs/bug parts & so forth per ounce of cereal, etc.







So even processed stuff is full of bug bits







: With contaminated grains/pasta in the cupboard, small amounts of buggies are skimmed off & the rest of the family is none the wiser, large amounts become the base for home-cooked pet food.


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## HipGal

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sanguine_speed* 
I need to get over my phobia of bugs.

I may never eat rice again.


I hear you. I may never be able to eat *anything* again after reading this thread!


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## sanguine_speed

This may also make me glad for the first time that my climate is snow 6 months a year. It may help keep bugs dead in transit/storing/shipping.
It kills the spiders in my car at least
I'm going to lose a few pounds this week.

Seriously, I have to go for phobia treatment. It prevents me from gardening, which I would otherwise love to do. Just can't. handle. bugs.


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## Knittin' in the Shade

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Poddi* 
When I was little if we got those mom just washed the rice many times until it's perfectly clean. It didn't taste any different. I do think the freezing first thing is preferred.







You can leave them outside for the bird instead of dumping it into the garbage.

Please, please do not leave uncooked rice outside for birds. It will expand in their stomach, making it explode, and kill them. It's why you rarely see rice thrown at weddings nowadays - most people throw birdseed, if anything.


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## Poddi

Oops, sorry for that suggestion. Actually I've never left rice for birds. My grandma would eat up any rice.







When I was little we had chicken that would eat up the bugs.

Worms gross me out, too. I usually beg somebody else in the house to deal with them.


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## threekstrio

So how do you get rid of the meal moths and worms????!!!!!!


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## Denvergirlie

Quote:


Originally Posted by *threekstrio* 
So how do you get rid of the meal moths and worms????!!!!!!









You dont' really get rid of them, you kill them by freezing.

Once dead you can get rid of them...

Rice - anything that floats is dead, skim off. Cook as normal
Flour - sift before using

There is a slight gross factor, but it's a fact of life that we all eat lots of bugs and bug parts pretty much on a daily basis.


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## threekstrio

Sure! I understand what you're saying about that one bag of rice/flour. I was just wondering if there is a way to prevent further infestation of your pantry? I hate pestisides but is there something like that or a natural way to completely get them out of your house once it's infested?? KWIM?


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## Denvergirlie

Quote:


Originally Posted by *threekstrio* 
Sure! I understand what you're saying about that one bag of rice/flour. I was just wondering if there is a way to prevent further infestation of your pantry? I hate pestisides but is there something like that or a natural way to completely get them out of your house once it's infested?? KWIM?










In the store check for small tears in the bags of rice or flour. Freeze when you get home for a few days. Then keep stored in a glass container that won't allow anything to get into it. I keep mine in old canning jars on the shelf, nothing is getting in there.

If you do have an infestation, freeze everything/ toss and wipe down all sounters, shelves, jars, cans, etc.


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## skai

What we did when we had an infestation was:

throw out everything that was very badly infested - lots of larvae wiggling around etc. since I could not fathom eating them
put everything else in the freezer for 2 weeks
wipe all the counters, take everything out from the cupboards and clean thoroughly about 3-4 times
move everything into glass jars
We now buy a lot of rice, flour etc from an open market and we usually just put everything in the freezer first for a few days and then move it to glass jars. Nothing stays in cardboard boxes or paper bags; I'm not giving the bugs any more chances!


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## Tallyhop

Arghgh ... I know how worms in your rice feels. I've been having them from the last 3 batches of costco rice.









Here's what I do to clean the rice. I pour about half a cup of rice into a fine sieve and I shake it a bit. All the eggs and sometimes dead worms







fall out. I then use a sieve with slightly bigger holes and repeat the same shaky process. I make sure the sieve is small enough to hold the rice but large enough for the worms to fall out. This usually takes care of most of the bugs.

I then put the rice over a white plate and scan over to make sure there's nothing in it. Before I cook, I soak the rice for about 10 min for any floatations.

The process may be exhausting but I'm sure there's no extra protein than necessary


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## Purple*Lotus

I have never had this problem before. I wonder how long until my luck runs out?







:


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## Thalia

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Knittin' in the Shade* 
Please, please do not leave uncooked rice outside for birds. It will expand in their stomach, making it explode, and kill them. It's why you rarely see rice thrown at weddings nowadays - most people throw birdseed, if anything.

This is an urban legend, actually. Rice is perfectly safe for birds to eat:

http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/birdrice.asp


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## Thalia

Back on topic:

While we were packing up to move recently, I found a rice bag I had made for my daughter's birth in summer 2007. I had tossed it in a plastic bucket and put it in a closet, and hadn't looked at it since. When I found it, the bag was infested with pantry moth larvae. the bottom of the bucket was covered with about an inch of dried larvae skins and a healthy population of live larvae were crawling at the bottom. I'm just glad no one else who was helping us pack found it! I didn't have that problem with any of the others, so it must have been one of the bags that I didn't put lavender or lavender oil in, and that never got microwaved. Yuck.


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## oneKnight

We eat the cooked bugs in the rice,

I switched all my storage to glass jars so no new ones get in - just the ones from the store. I also store extra rice in the fridge or freezer so I know none are growing in there.

Last year we had ants in our sugar, some died in there and we ate them too. It wasn't bad for baking, but I had to skim them off if I made sweet tea lol

We can't afford to throw things out if they aren't actually spoiled.
A few bugs don't hurt, but a real infestation with worms and stuff would be a different story.


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## Jane

We had a bag of flour bring in boarer beetles and they infested our whole kitchen, boaring into every box and bag we had. My dh has a low tolerance for ick, so we chucked absolutely anthing they got to - I was okay with that, too.

We left all the cupboard empty and vacuumed them a few times over the next week, wiped them out, and refilled the cupboards from the store with new supplies. Now everything goes in a plastic container. I think we spent $120 getting containers for everything - not including all the tuperware we already owned. We just stick with that. Although, for now, we don't put cereal in plastic anymore. It seems fine - no more infestations, knock wood.

If I knew then what I know now, I'd have gotten glass containers instead of the hard crystal plastic ones I did buy. Not getting rid of them, tho. I think flour, rice, and sugar in possible-BPA plastic is a risk I'll take.


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## TwinsTwicePlusTwo

Ever seen the movie _Master and Commander_? They race weevils they found in their food in one scene. Bugs in food used to be an accepted part of life. In some places bugs are considered food themselves (some are alive and wiggling as they're eaten too). The 'ick factor' is entirely cultural. Pantry moth larva are perfectly edible.

However, I bow down to American culture (and my families preferences) and toss anything that shows any sign of pantry moth infestation. My partners do most of the cooking and if they find 'maggots' (moth larva) in anything they completely freak out and I have to take care of getting rid of the offending item. Honestly, the way they carry on you'd think the worms were flesh-eating.









We keep a lot of things in tupperware now and that seems to keep the moths away, mostly.


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## SleeplessMommy

There are sticky traps you can get to round up the adult pantry moths - very effective.

We have heating ducts which are adjacent to the pantry wall - it makes the Mothra (pantry moths) _very happy_ to live in our pantry. Though right now we seem to have a Mothra-free house - our infestation started when a painter left the patio slider open for a few days.

We do a combination of things -
* sticky traps (from Lowes or Home Depot)
* caulk for cracks in baseboards, etc (they like to live in enclosed spaces)
* store staples like flour in the fridge
* extra cleaning and vacuuming for the kitchen
* remove all birdseed from the house (they like it!)
* put staples in the freezer for a couple of days, then transfer to glass or plastic jars.
* have screens in place any time a door or window is left open.

it would be simpler just to eat them.







:


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## Delicateflower

Quote:


Originally Posted by *threekstrio* 
Sure! I understand what you're saying about that one bag of rice/flour. I was just wondering if there is a way to prevent further infestation of your pantry? I hate pestisides but is there something like that or a natural way to completely get them out of your house once it's infested?? KWIM?









I check the bags in the store, then a few days to a week in the freezer at home, then into an airtight container.

Everything in my pantry is sealed. If I see moths in something I throw it out. My last problem was with pasta in boxes. I don't buy more than a couple of weeks worth now.


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## Warpedmom

I freeze/refridgerate all my flour, sugar, rice, etc. I have a deep freeze and toss it all in the bottom. I stock up around the holidays when it goes on sale. I have a ton of brown sugar in the bottom lol.

If you are buying large amounts, freeze it for a while then put it in a tightly sealed glass or plastic container. I have a 20 gallon plastic sealed container for rice. The containers are pricey to buy (about $35 or so at container store) but well worth it. Also store in a dry area. The less humidity the better. My pantry is in with my laundry room so I have to store the containers in the garage near the door.


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## elephantmargaret

Quote:


Originally Posted by *oneKnight* 
We eat the cooked bugs in the rice,

I switched all my storage to glass jars so no new ones get in - just the ones from the store. I also store extra rice in the fridge or freezer so I know none are growing in there.

Last year we had ants in our sugar, some died in there and we ate them too. It wasn't bad for baking, but I had to skim them off if I made sweet tea lol

We can't afford to throw things out if they aren't actually spoiled.
A few bugs don't hurt, but a real infestation with worms and stuff would be a different story.

I grew up in africa and the saying among the missionaries there about new missionaries is "when you are under adjusted you pick the ants out of the sugar, when you are adjusted you leave them in, when you are over adjusted you look for ants to put in your sugar.". ITA about sifting, picking etc. We also used something to kill the stuff in the flour (we bought 50 lb sacks) since we didn't have a freezer. It smelled nasty so I'm sure it wasn't good for us!


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## hibana

"In the service, one must always choose the lesser of two weevils!"









(Dh & I love that movie)

It's good to know about the freezing thing. I hate finding bugs in my stuff.







We already use glass jars or sealed plastic buckets for storage, and I put cedar sachets in the pantry cabinet. I don't know if it works, but it smells nice!


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## oneKnight

Quote:


Originally Posted by *elephantmargaret* 
I grew up in africa and the saying among the missionaries there about new missionaries is "when you are under adjusted you pick the ants out of the sugar, when you are adjusted you leave them in, when you are over adjusted you look for ants to put in your sugar.". ITA about sifting, picking etc. We also used something to kill the stuff in the flour (we bought 50 lb sacks) since we didn't have a freezer. It smelled nasty so I'm sure it wasn't good for us!

Well, I'm gonna let my new chickens *look* for ants to eat!


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## La Sombra

Well, a couple of people have mentioned pantry moths but it doesn't sound to me like they were the bane of others' existence as they were mine!

Here's thing about pantry moths (for me anyway):
* they get in EVERYTHING--flour, sugar, oatmeal, nuts, rice, etc. etc.
* they can very easily eat through sealed plastic bags--and I've never even found the holes that they must make.
* And not only that--they have demonstrated an uncanny ability to get into sealed jars (ALL of my glass jars of flour, etc. were FILLED with moths and their maggots--and they even somehow, ahem, "wormed" their way into a sealed tin of McCann's steel-cut oats.)
* The moths show up EVERYWHERE, and are especially ubiquitous at night.
* They multiply like crazy, quickly and exponentially.
* Their life cycles are really long; if you think you've finally gotten rid of them (and this requires throwing out EVERYTHING in your pantry that they could possibly have infested), and are at all un-cautious (as I was recently with a bag of oatmeal, which I failed to keep in the freezer with the other stuff), you will discover them all over again.
* I'm not particularly squeamish about picking the maggots out of, say, the rice, but here's the impossible thing for me: the telltale sign of pantry moths is the sticky webbing that appears in the food where they lay their eggs. It's the first thing I notice before I even see any maggots or moths in a given item of food. If you shake the bag slightly and notice that it looks all weird and clumpy like a spider web has been spun inside it, odds are you've got pantry moths. And so while I could pick out maggots, I have no idea how to "eat around" that nasty webbing. Also, I often find bunches of the moths resting in food, which grosses me out more than the maggots, even.

Freeze everything. Pantry moths can come from, among other sources, food that you buy at the grocery store, so freezing it will a) ensure any existing bugs can't get to it or b) any bugs that were already in it are contained and killed and can't spread to the rest of your food.

We have had pantry moths on-and-off for years now and I have no idea why that is, but I know it sucks! I hope you don't get them!


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## StormySar

I haven't read the whole thread.... but won't be throwing away any more rice when I find a worm in it. 

What about pasta? Same thing? I once found a few works in pasta I bought from the store. Pitched the whole thing, it grossed me out. But if I knew it wasn't dangerous I'da probably plucked them from the water and continued on as usual...


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## EFmom

I'm pretty frugal. But the rice would absolutely get tossed, along with all other grain-based food, unless it was in moth-proof tightly sealed containers. I'm not knowingly eating buggy food or serving it to my family.

I've dealt with the Indian meal moths. Once they get in your house, it takes months to get rid of them. Ick, ick, ick. They can live on just about anything.


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## Sonnenwende

Quote:


Originally Posted by *EFmom* 
I'm pretty frugal. But the rice would absolutely get tossed, along with all other grain-based food, unless it was in moth-proof tightly sealed containers. I'm not knowingly eating buggy food or serving it to my family.

I've dealt with the Indian meal moths. Once they get in your house, it takes months to get rid of them. Ick, ick, ick. They can live on just about anything.

Completely agree. Throwing it out would be to prevent more infestation. To tolerate it...I don't know why you would when you really don't have to. Last I checked, most of us aren't sailing around, trying to recreate the year 1805.


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## User101

Moving to Nutrition and Good Eating


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## mablair

*bugs in rice*



MaShroom said:


> Oh that is just maddening isn't it?
> I think if you keep things in glass or plastic jars that will help keep things out. They go right through plastic or paper packages, as I found out the hard way. I've been freezing new bags of rice for at least 24 hours (like you do with flour to kill the weevils) just as an extra measure. I don't know if that helps, but I figure it can't hurt.
> 
> Btw, instead of throwing out all of my ruined rice, I'm picking out the ickies and making rice bags to heat up in the microwave for the cold nights ahead. Those rotten little worms aren't going to get the best of me...


You still need to freeze grains (I freeze for 48 hours just to be sure) before placing in glass containers. If the larvae is already in the rice when you put it in the glass, they will hatch. I know this from personal experience :crying:. Love your idea to save the rice for rice bags!


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## Lakshmi28

Best remedy but looks like a joke..a few Red ants are enough to get rid of these worms.Integrate thm with rice and They will eat these worms.You will get surprised in couple of days like us :smile:


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