How to Get Rid of Weevils in Pantries and Cupboards

It can instantly recognize the most common pests in your pantry and kitchen cabinets, such as ants, flies, cockroaches, or even pantry moths. But your food storage areas may also be infested with a lesser-known strange-looking insect: the weevil.

Weevils comprise a very large group of more than 95,000 species of insects, but all are characterized by long snouts not found in other types of insects. The most common types of weevils found in pantries and cupboards are the rice weevil (Sitophilus oryzae), the barn or wheat weevil (Sitophilus granarius), and the corn weevil (Sitophilus zeamais).

It's not the same weevils that can damage outdoor landscaping plants and agricultural crops, but they can create a serious problem in the kitchen food storage area.

These species feed primarily on grains and are often found in boxes or bags of stored grains or whole grains. Raw seed kernels are more likely to attack; Highly processed cereal products are not as susceptible.

Weevils are fairly small insects, so it's easy to ignore an infestation in food storage areas. They typically enter a home through products that have been infested at a food processing or packaging center.

Food products that contain raw wheat, oats, rye, barley, rice, and corn are more susceptible to the weevil.

The life cycle of the weevil

The three types of weevils that are common indoor kitchen pests range in size from 1/8 to 3/16 of an inch in length. Rice weevils are dull reddish-brown flying beetles with four lighter spots.

They are more common in slightly warmer climates. The barn weevil cannot fly and is a bright reddish-brown color; they are found in colder climates.

The corn weevil is very similar to the rice weevil; only a close examination of the reproductive parts will distinguish the two species.

Furthermore, these insects exhibit similar behavior and breeding habits. All three types of weevils lay eggs by making a small hole in a grain seed and laying a single egg.

The tiny, legless larvae, a white humpback worm, develop completely within the shell of the seed, transforming into the pupa which then emerges and leaves the seeds as an adult insect.

Since much of the life cycle takes place inside the seed and since adult insects are very small, a weevil infestation can go unnoticed for a long time before it spreads. The most obvious sign is usually the presence of too many empty seed shells in the stored grain product, creating a dusty residue.

Therefore, careful examination is needed to detect a weevil infestation in stored grain products, and getting rid of the insects involves several strategies employed together.

3 ways to get rid of weevil in food storage areas

Discard affected food

Any open containers of cereal grain products for which you suspect a weevil infestation should be sealed and discarded immediately.

Also, discard any open containers that are nearby. Even sealed cardboard containers can be suspect if they don't have the sealed inner liners intact. When it comes to weevils, it's best to be aggressive when ruling out suspicious foods.

Apply heat or cold to stored food

If you find or suspect an infested food and you want to try to kill the weevils instead of discarding them, it is generally possible to kill the adult weevils, as well as the eggs, larvae and pupae by heating the product to 140ºC. degrees Fahrenheit for at least 15 minutes or freeze the product at 0 degrees or below for three days.

Clean to remove adult insects

After emptying cabinets and pantry, and after inspecting and disposing of all suspect foods, thoroughly vacuum food storage areas and clean with hot soapy water or a disinfectant spray cleaner.

Food cans and individual glass containers should also be cleaned before being returned to cabinets. The goal here is to ensure that there are no adult weevils left to establish a new infestation. These are very small insects, so they can escape your efforts unless you clean them very carefully.

We hope you enjoy watching this video about  How to Get Rid of Weevils in Pantries and Cupboards

Source: Solutions Pest & Lawn

Did you find this post useful or inspiring? Save THIS PIN to your HOME Board on Pinterest! 😊

Once again, thank you for visiting our website!

We hope you've enjoyed exploring the content we've created for you.

Give yourself the chance to learn, get inspired, and have even more fun, keep browsing...