Rice weevils are tiny pantry pests that infest and feed on stored food products, households. However, In this article, we are going to discuss the facts, identification, control, and prevention of rice weevils. So your home can remain free of these Pantry pests.
When buying rice grains stored for long from a store, rice weevils are likely to deal with the rice grains.
Eventually, if not currently while a single bug may not be much to worry about, the rice weevil population can quickly boom to a large scale and caused hundreds of dollars in food damage.
Rice Weevils Facts
Rice weevils belong to the superfamily Curculionoidea, they are popularly known for their elongated snouts. The rice weevils are very small, measuring a length of 6mm (1/4 inches).
Rice weevils have about 97,000 other species well known, they belong to several families where most of them are in the family Curculionidae known to be the true weevils.
Weevils are insects that belong to the family Curculionidae (also known as true weevils). Did you know that some beetles have the name ‘weevil’ attached to their names, but are not really weevils? a good example of these beetles is the biscuit weevil (botanically referred to as, Stegobium Paniceum).
Biscuit weevils are small, hard-shelled, reddish-brown beetles with an oval-shaped body that is humped and covered in short yellowish hairs. They belong to the family Ptinidae.
Most weevils are referred to as pests because of their incessant will to destroy crops and agricultural produce. Below is a list of some weevils and specific crops they attack:
- Boll Weevil: Attacks cotton crops by laying its eggs in the cotton. When the egg grows to the larvae stage, it eats its way out of the crop.
- Maize Weevil: Botanically referred to as Sitophilus Zeamais are known to attack stored grains (especially maize).
- Wheat Weevil: Botanically referred to as Sitophilus Granarius are known to attack stored grains (especially wheat).
Rice Weevils Identification
The first thing you should do in any pest control plan is identifying what exactly you’re dealing with, improper pest identification can lead to wrong treatment methods.
This will eventually cost you time and money, even though they’re called rice weevils, they don’t exclusively feed and harbor on rice.
They can also be found in other grains, cereals, and dry pasta rice. Their holes are smaller than even grains of rice growing only to be as large as 3 to 4.6 millimeters in length.
They have dark brown bodies, and you may even notice some lighter brown patches. If you can see them close up enough.
You can tell a weevil apart from other pests like green beetles because you’ll notice that weevils have a long snout, it’s hard to miss.
Even if they’re that small, you’ll most likely only spot adult rice weevils, rather than any eggs or larvae, or pupae.
After mating, a female level will deposit one egg into one grain. Seal up, whatever hole she’s made, and then move on to the next grain.
She’ll repeat this process until she has about 300 to 400 eggs. Only half of all rice, Weevil eggs hatch. This is how a large-scale infestation can easily occur.
Rice Weevils Inspection
After identifying the pest to be a rice weevil. Rice weevils inspection is the next phase of any good pest control plan.
- Once, you know what your pest looks like. Check around your property to confirm their presence or find hot spots of activity to confirm rice weevil activity.
- Look in or around your pantry or where foodstuff is stored. You may see a few rice weevils wandering the shelves, but focus on finding the source of your infestation.
- Now, look for adult weevils inside bags or boxes of grains or other stored Foods. Remember, since rice weevils spend their development stages within grains, you’ll only see adults during your inspection.
- Be sure to also check any cupboards drawers and shelving, if you’re wondering how you got rice weevils in the first place.
- Rice weevils are most likely the reason you bought infested food from the grocery store and then brought them in your home, most of the time you’ve to inspect that bag of flour too.
You just bought was harboring these pests even if you didn’t see the adults crawling around the eggs and larvae could be in there going unnoticed.
Rice Weevils Treatment
After identifying your pests and inspecting for activity on your property, it’s time to start treatment. But before starting any treatment, ensure you do the following:
- Wear your personal protective equipment or PPE.
- Remember to keep all people and pets off.
- Allow treated areas until dry before, starting your treatment.
- You need to clear out your pantry, start by throwing out all boxed and bagged foodstuffs.
That sounds excessive, but if you found at least one infested package, odds are there are rice weevils in your other packaged Foods.
Step by Step on Rice Weevil Treatment
Rice weevils can chew through packaging, materials, like, cardboard or thin cereal bags, which allows them to go in easily throughout an entire pantry.
- Once these foods are tossed proceed to remove and set aside, everything else.
- Vacuum all cracks and crevices in the pantry.
- Shelving for cabinets, if your shelving is adjustable, clean out, the peg holes with a toothpick and vacuum rice.
- Weevils may be found in these tight spaces as they travel from place to place. Be sure to throw out the vacuums bag to clean the canister when you’re done.
- Then wipe down the pantry shelves with water to clean up any food residue.
- Do not use any strong cleaners or bleach. As these might keep the pests away from pesticides, you’ll soon apply.
What are the Insecticides Used for Rice Weevils Treatment?
Once you’ve totally cleared and cleaned out your pantry, you’ll need to use insecticide, aerosols labeled for rice weevils like Pyrid and Novacide.
How to Apply Pyrid Insecticide
Pyrid is an insecticide aerosol that’s often used as a flushing agent and it’s great to treat tight cracks and crevices where rice weevils, and other pests may be hiding.
To use pirate as a crack and crevice treatment.
- Just remove the white applicator attach it with the provided red applicator and make sure that the straw is firmly affixed in the spout.
- Shake the can, and spray along the length of any cracks and crevices in your pantry, rice. Weevils could be hiding when treating cracks and crevices.
- Just spray it at all corners of your shelf, furniture, and infested areas.
- Pyrid does not leave a residual, but it’s an excellent contact, spray with a powerful knockdown and a quick kill next.
How to Apply Novacide Insecticide
Novacide is another aerosol insecticide, but this one contains an insect growth regulator (IGR). What it does is, it will disrupt the target pest life cycle.
- Novacide, in particular, has a long-lasting residual and will work for up to seven months once applied.
- We recommend you apply Novacide as a spot treatment along the edges of your shelves.
- Just shake the Novacide can, hold it upside down, and spray in quick bursts.
- Every couple of inches with both ducts, you’ll be able to kill any rice weevils, this will you spot out and protect your pantry again.
- For all future potential infestations? Be sure to only spray these products in an empty pantry.
- Allow your treatments to dry before you restock your shelves.
Rice Weevils Prevention
Prevention is essential to keeping pests in check. Even after you’ve applied pesticides, the best way to stop pest activity is to make sure it can’t happen again.
While no residual and insect growth regulator will protect your pantry for up to seven months, employ these other tips to prevent infestations in the future.
How to Prevent Rice Weevils from coming back
- If you can buy only about a week or two worth of food at a time, try not to overstock your pantry, and shelves because the longer something sits there, the more likely a potential infestation could break out.
- When buying dry Foods at the grocery store. Take a look at the packaging. If you can see the product, try to look for any rice weevils or other pests.
- If you see any holes, rips tears, or other openings, then it’s an obvious indicator to pass that item up.
- And when storing food, it’s best to keep it in tight, fitting, or sealed containers, put cereals, rice, and flour.
- Containers that can be are sealed even plastic can help, this is especially true for dry pet food, pet food, and birdseed are often extremely conducive for pantry past.
So it’s important to store your pet food in a sealed container rice weevils are small. Yeah, destructive Pantry.
Conclusion
Rice weevils can cost hundreds in food damage, but there are ways to control their infestation, that’s gone out of hand with these professional products and tips from pestclue, you can stop rice weevils, from investing in your home.
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