A New Use for All Those Old Bay Leaves

If you’ve ever opened your flour container to find tiny black bugs, you may have encountered weevils. These small beetles, ranging from 1/4 to 1/8 inch in size, are known for infesting dry pantry goods such as flour, rice, oats, and beans. Their long snouts make them easily identifiable, and although they’re not harmful to eat, seeing them in your pantry is a nuisance. Once they infest your pantry, the only solution is often to toss out every dry good in sight.

The best way to handle pantry pests is to prevent them from infesting your food in the first place. Some people claim that placing a few bay leaves in your flour container can keep weevils away—so is there any truth to this? Let’s investigate.

What Are Weevils?

There are over 95,000 species of weevils, but the most common ones found in our pantries are rice, granary (wheat), and maize weevils. Rice weevils are tiny, reddish-brown, about 1/8-inch long, and capable of flight. Granary weevils are slightly larger, 1/4-inch long, reddish-brown to black, and flightless. It’s these non-flying weevils that are most often found in your flour bin.

What Do Weevils Consume?

Weevils are known to feast on a variety of foods, including wheat, rice, beans, nuts, cereals, corn, rye, buckwheat, grapes, apples, and pears. Once you spot weevils on any of these foods, it’s time to throw them out. The infestation includes more than just adult weevils—hidden weevil eggs are also present, so even if you remove the adults, you’ll likely face a new infestation soon after.

How Can You Prevent Weevils?

The most effective way to keep weevils out of your home is to stop them from entering in the first place. Before storing any dry goods in your pantry or storage bins, inspect them for contamination. This is especially crucial if you’re buying items from a bulk section and transferring them to containers. Ensure your storage containers are airtight, ideally with pressure seals or gaskets, to prevent weevils from getting inside. Avoid using plastic bags or cardboard for storage, as weevils can easily chew through them.

Do Bay Leaves Help Keep Weevils Away?

Bay leaves, often used to add flavor to dishes like chicken soup, are believed to keep weevils out of flour because of the insect-repelling compound eucalyptol. But is it really true? The short answer is that it’s possible, though research on bay leaves and weevil repellent is limited. While there’s no conclusive evidence they work against weevils specifically, studies show bay leaves can repel other pests like cockroaches and mosquitoes due to eucalyptol’s strong scent, which insects tend to avoid.

The trade-off is that your dry goods will end up smelling like bay leaves! If you choose to use bay leaves to fend off weevils, be prepared for a subtle bay leaf flavor to infuse your flour, rice, and any baked goods made with them. The strong fragrance of eucalyptol doesn’t just repel bugs—it’s noticeable to us humans as well. So, if you don’t mind the herbal hint in your blueberry muffins or risotto, adding bay leaves to your pantry could be worth a try.