Kitchen helper - keep your pantry pest-free with bay leaves
Pantries – whether the walk-in variety or the cupboard-style – can harbour pantry pests like weevils and other small insects which can ruin your valuable supplies and be downright inconvenient.
Bay leaves, an aromatic leaf, are usually used to flavour soups and stocks. Because they have a relatively strong, savoury smell, they are also a natural insect repellent. This is because they contain eucalyptol, an essential oil that pests don’t like.
Simply toss some a dried bay leaf or two into your flour or rice bin. Just make sure you don’t mind the flour you use for baking being slightly scented by the bay leaves. Alternatively, scatter a few on the shelving near your supplies.
If you are lucky enough to have a bay tree in your garden, you can apply this tip liberally. Otherwise, buy a packet and distribute as needed.
They also repel silverfish, so putting them amongst your sheets in your linen press is a great idea too.
