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How to check light-colored dry beans for bugs

Does it need checking? Light-colored dry beans are rarely infested in the USA, or infested after long storage, and sometimes infested in Israel. (Rav Moshe Vaya) Check the bag, then soak the beans and watch what rises to the top.

Rav Vaya’s rating

USA[★]rarely infested, or after long storage
Israel★sometimes infested (mi’ut hamatzui)

Rav Moshe Vaya, Bedikat HaMazon K’Halacha, Degree of Infestation chart, p. 940 (Light colored Beans)

Which bugs

  • Bugs can be inside the beans. When the beans are soaked, infested beans and bugs rise to the top of the water.
  • Crushed beans or white crumbs at the bottom of the bag are a sign of infestation.
  • OU Kosher’s chart names them: worms, when the beans are stored for a long time or stored improperly. They can be in the middle of the bean.

How to check

  1. Check the bag first. It should look fresh. Crushed beans or white crumbs at the bottom of the bag show infestation. The bag tells you a lot: fresh and new, or very old.
  2. Put the amount of beans you need in a bowl. Add three times as much water, because the beans expand to three times their size when soaked.
  3. Bugs, and beans with bugs inside, rise to the top. Not everything that floats is a bug, but it is an indication.
  4. Leave the beans in the water for about 20 minutes. Then look at what you have.
  5. If you find one bug, just remove it. If you find two bugs, the problem is more serious. Check the beans much more carefully.
  6. If you find more than that, the beans may be heavily infested. Stay away from them.

Watch

▶ Bugs Checking: Beans & Barley

Pictures

Looking closely at the bag of grain for crushed pieces or crumbs at the bottom
Looking closely at the bag of grain for crushed pieces or crumbs at the bottom. (“Bugs Checking: Beans & Barley”, 0:24)

Sources

  • Rav Moshe Vaya, Bedikat HaMazon K’Halacha, Degree of Infestation chart, p. 940 (rating).
  • OU Kosher: worms, when stored for a long time or improperly; they can be in the middle of the bean. Soak for about half an hour and remove the wormy beans that float to the top of the water. (Fruit and Vegetable Inspection Chart)
  • cRc: raw dry beans processed in the United States are centrifuged to remove bugs and stay bug-free for many months if stored cool and dry, so there is no need to check them in the United States. Beans in another country, or beans that may not have been stored properly, may need further inspection. (Fruits & Vegetables Checking Guide)

Related

References: OU Kosher — Fruit and Vegetable Inspection Chart (PDF) · cRc — Fruits & Vegetables Checking Guide