Grain and Rice Weevils

Rice weevils are very small, only about an eighth of an inch long. They tend to be brown or black with a fairly oval-shaped body. They have six legs, a long snout, and wings. Rice weevils have hard wing covers that have distinctive light colored spots. Grain weevils look very similar, but lack the spots.

 

These weevils are good fliers and are attracted to light. They will seek to overwinter in grain stores inside temperature-controlled homes, laying their eggs inside the kernels of grain. The larvae will hatch and develop inside the kernels, eventually leaving just a hollowed out shell behind.  They will infest a wide variety of foods. They like grains of all kinds, including rice, wheat, barley, oats and rye. They also like seeds, nuts, berries, and popcorn. They will infest cereals, pastas, flour, and even sometimes even fruit, like grapes.

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The obvious sign of an infestation would be to see the insects themselves. They could be crawling around, or flying toward lights. You may also see the larvae, which are white with a brownish-black head. They will often just look like tiny white specks in your packages or containers. You may also find a fine powder or dust in the bottom of containers, which is the weevil droppings.

 

In the absence of visible insects, you may find hollowed out kernels and/or fine webbing, and your stores of food may smell musty. You may see many little holes in your grain kernels or food, indicating hatching larvae in the container.  You will want to deal with an infestation immediately by removing contaminated food and thoroughly cleaning your panty and cupboards.

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To learn even more about rice weevils, check out our blog post