Food manufacturers carefully monitor the quality of their raw materials, as it is about human health. However, the product may be infected with bugs, which are then detected when opening the bag with cereal. This is the so-called Surinamese flies.
Beetles can appear in all grains, and no one is safe from this. The beetle is dark brown or black, in length reaches 2-3.5 mm. It is sometimes difficult to notice the pest with the naked eye.
Description of the insect. What does Surinamean mukoed eat?
There are several stages in the development of a beetle: egg, larva, pupa, adult. Caught in flour or cereal, the beetle begins an active life. Adults and their larvae feed, leaving husks, feces and other debris. Suriname flour-eaters can damage a variety of foods: grains, flour, cereals, confectionery, dried vegetables and fruits, oilseeds, nuts, etc.
The life of the mucoeater is about three years, for which he lays 100-600 eggs. In one clutch, 20-30 eggs are born, which in 1-2.5 months will become adult bugs. If the conditions for the mucoeater are the best, such as a temperature of 25-27 degrees and a humidity of 65%, then the reproduction rate will be maximum. It is almost impossible to notice the eggs of the mucoeater, they are white in color and not more than 1 mm long.
Surinamese mukoed is afraid of the sun and bright light, and cereals, as you know, are stored in dark places, this creates an additional favorable environment for his life.
If you touch the beetle, it instantly presses its paws and pretends to be dead. Many, believing that the bug is dead, sweep it with a broom in the trash. From there, the bug successfully creeps out and continues to harm.
If an unfavorable situation is created for the mucoeater, he closes the spiracles and moves in search of better conditions for life.
The beetle dies at a temperature below -15, therefore it is recommended to put cereals in the freezer for their extermination. With regard to high temperatures, the beetle can feel great even at temperatures above +50.
Where does the mucoeater live?
Surinamese mukoed is unpretentious and can appear anywhere and live in any place. The most comfortable environment for the reproduction and existence of a beetle is a granary and a mill. Thus, when packing cereals, he appears in the houses.
Getting rid of unwanted neighbors is extremely difficult, as beetles lay their eggs everywhere. It is not enough just to throw out a bag of groats; more drastic measures must be taken.
Harm from bugs
Few people will like the Surinamese mukoed in the apartment. What is dangerous is the fact that the beetle destroys the stocks of cereals. This can decently hit the budget of the hosts, as products contaminated by the pest are no longer suitable for food. Mukoed passes toxic substances to products, after the use of which allergic reactions and gastrointestinal disorders can occur. For this reason, it is necessary to carefully monitor the cleanliness of cereals, even if you have never encountered this problem.
The fight against flour eaters in the workplace
Eliminating the likelihood of a mucoeater is the main task of food industry companies. Grain storages and production facilities are processed with special chemicals.
In addition, methods of heating, cooling and cleaning grain are used, cereals are thoroughly dried and stored at low temperatures. This helps prevent the beetle from appearing.
Quality departments monitor the cleanliness of each shipment of products shipped to the counter. However, an unfair attitude to this stage of production is present and bears fruit - bugs appear in the kitchen of buyers and infect other products.
Eliminate the pest
If you suddenly find a mucoeater's home, you need to study information on how to get rid of bugs in cereals. Fighting insects is not as easy as it might seem at first glance. They lay their eggs in completely different places and invisibly to the human eye. They can not be seen in a bag with cereals, but they continue to multiply. There is no way to help get rid of bugs instantly. However, Surinamese mucoed can disappear from your home thanks to some methods.
To fight you will need:
- disinfectant;
- glass jars with lids;
- garlic;
- nutmeg;
- Bay leaf.
All contaminated products should be discarded. Even if it seems to you that there are not many bugs there, they will still continue to breed further. It is worth revising all cereals, bags of flour, crackers, in a word, all bakery and cereal products. Flour is the beetle's favorite treat; it must immediately be thrown away.
Rinse all kitchen cabinets thoroughly with a disinfectant. It is better to do this several times. Uninfected cereals should be placed in bags and left in the refrigerator. If after some time you have not noticed signs of the presence of a beetle, you can pour the cereals into jars and tightly close the lid.
Next, you need to put bay leaves in the cabinets, and peeled garlic in the corners. Pour nutmeg onto the adhesive plaster and also spread it in the corners of the lockers. After such procedures, bugs in the kitchen are unlikely to appear again.
Prevention
To exclude the appearance of beetles, you need to take some preventive measures. It’s not enough just to hold the bags of cereal in the refrigerator. It is necessary to make bags from canvas material, which boil for half an hour in a saline solution. After that, dry them and iron them. If you store cereals in such bags, then you can protect yourself from the appearance of a mucoeater. You can also put purchased cereals in the freezer for several days.
If you have bugs in the kitchen, then do not despair, thinking that you are an unscrupulous housewife. A mucoeater can be brought on clothes or with cereals from a store, and there is not a drop of human guilt in this. The main thing is to know how to get rid of bugs in cereals, and act immediately.
Clean your kitchen regularly, clean with disinfectants, and check all products carefully.