Released September 10, 2009
BENTONVILLE, Ark. - The large wooden flour bin in Aunt Sally's kitchen could hold 100 pounds, or two small boys brave enough to hide there on occasion of it being empty. Large sacks were a common unit of purchase at the time and the bin size was made to match.
The thought of flour bins emerged following the recent occurrence of grain moths here in the Benton County extension office. I posed a question to the younger staff members, "How do you think your grandparents handled pantry moth infestations?"
I remember that one side of Aunt Sally's flour bin was made to hold essential utensils that included a measuring cup, large spoon, bread board, rolling pin, flour sieve and sifter. Her homemade bin was certainly not airtight, allowing flour beetles, weevils or grain moths to easily set up residence.
By current standards that thought could make a few folks squeamish, but in the real world, especially for those who detest the use of pesticides in the kitchen, you learn to deal with problems. In Aunt Sally's era, the flour sieve was a way to extract any wanna-be pest post haste.
Pantry insects, like head lice, are perceived by many to be a social stigma. However, any kitchen, whether back street or Main Street, is subject to invasion where prolonged storage of grain products occurs in anything other than airtight containers.
Aunt Sally kept the flour sieve handy.
For other solutions, a copy of the "Pantry Pests" factsheet, FSA7024, may be downloaded at http://www.uaex.edu/Other_Areas/publications/PDF/FSA-7024.pdf.
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http://www.uaex.edu/news/september2009/0911seay.htm
Media contact: Elizabeth Fortune, (501) 671-2120, efortune@uaex.edu
