Need help id'ing a bug

[Rod Sprague]

There are any number of beetle and moth larvae that infest flour. In less they give things an off taste; yes they can be safely ignored! In Italian cooking, some recipes call for pea weevil infested dried peas. I tried some Taj Mahal beer and noticed it had a flavor reminiscent of the odor tenebrionids (darkling beetles, the family that includes flour beetles) give off as a defense. As some tenebrionids are grain pests, I wondered if perhaps the beetles are intentionally grown in the grain before it is malted, as it might have been more trouble to keep them out at one time, so people developed a taste for that favor in their beer!

Rod

[peeplj]

Rod, just wanted you to know that was the single most disgusting post I've read today.

/me bazooka-barfs.....

--James.hiding.under.bed.tar.gz

[Flyingcursor]

There are any number of beetle and moth larvae that infest flour. In less they give things an off taste; yes they can be safely ignored! In Italian cooking, some recipes call for pea weevil infested dried peas. I tried some Taj Mahal beer and noticed it had a flavor reminiscent of the odor tenebrionids (darkling beetles, the family that includes flour beetles) give off as a defense. As some tenebrionids are grain pests, I wondered if perhaps the beetles are intentionally grown in the grain before it is malted, as it might have been more trouble to keep them out at one time, so people developed a taste for that favor in their beer!

Rod

I agree. The last noodles I cooked tasted strikingly like the effluence of the Mantis religiosa. A berry-like flavor more like a strawberry then an elderberry. Of course the larva were less than a week old.

[peeplj]

Dermestid larva, hmmm.

Got some reading to do....

Thanks for the help and the chuckles, everyone!

--James

[Doug_Tipple]

The landlord has been showing my apartment to prospective new renters. As I haven't moved out yet, if I am home at the time of the showing, I simply apologize for the mess, saying that it doesn't usually look as bad as it currently does. Last week a middle age woman came to look at the apartment. It was obvious that the woman liked to talk, but the more she talked, the less desirable she seemed as a tenant. I didn't need to know about all of her aches and pains. Then she finally got around to bugs. She said that she freaked out if she saw any bugs in the house. I assured her that we didn't have roaches, but ocassionally there may be ant, a fly, or a spider. Lets face it, in this world healthy houses have a few insect guests. If insects don't live in the house, that is a very bad sign.

However, the trip to the basement to view the washer and dryer was icing on the cake, as the woman simply went ballistic when she saw the spider webs in the ceiling rafters. Try to imagine what an unfinished basement of a 100-year-old house looks like. It's poorly lit, it smells like mold and mildew, and everything is dusty. Frankly, I am more concerned with the strange noises at night than I am with a few harmless insects here and there going about their daily routines.

[Lambchop]

Aren't dermestid beetles the ones that eat the horsehair on violin bows?

[dow]

For your reading pleasure:

Dermestid Beetles

[I.D.10-t]

There are any number of beetle and moth larvae that infest flour. In less they give things an off taste; yes they can be safely ignored! In Italian cooking, some recipes call for pea weevil infested dried peas. I tried some Taj Mahal beer and noticed it had a flavor reminiscent of the odor tenebrionids (darkling beetles, the family that includes flour beetles) give off as a defense. As some tenebrionids are grain pests, I wondered if perhaps the beetles are intentionally grown in the grain before it is malted, as it might have been more trouble to keep them out at one time, so people developed a taste for that favor in their beer!

Rod

I agree. The last noodles I cooked tasted strikingly like the effluence of the Mantis religiosa. A berry-like flavor more like a strawberry then an elderberry. Of course the larva were less than a week old.

Ground bug bodies are used to make red food dye and do not seem to give much of an off flavor.

[Rod Sprague]

Being an entomology student, I loose track of how disgusting some people find entomophagy (eating of insects). To me, insects are an inevitable part of living on this planet and the peoples that intentionally eat insects are simply taking advantage of another source of high quality food.

For your reading pleasure:

Dermestid Beetles

One of my progressive farmer friends wanted to start a beetle pit, basically a big hole used to dispose of dread animals and animal parts with the help of dermestids, so the bodies don’t sit around and give the local carnivores a taste for domestic animals. They got rid of carcasses before the local critters could get hold of them, but got tired of the hassle of finding and paying someone to hall off dead critters in a timely manner. I suggested they contact Washington State University, because I knew they had a colony for cleaning bones.

Rod

[Lambchop]

Suddenly, I feel a need to fumigate my fleece . . .

[dow]

Suddenly, I feel a need to fumigate my fleece . . .

[Rod Sprague]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheep_dip

[Lambchop]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheep_dip

Ewww! I was thinking more along the lines of a nice herbal infusion . . .

[Rod Sprague]

I’m just teasing; you strike me as the type with the sort of personal hygiene who wouldn’t have anything unhealthy going on in their fleece, anyway.

Rod