You’re measuring a cup of rice when you notice there are dark spots in between the grains of white. You start to wonder if rice can even go bad, but then you notice something odd… those little flecks of black are moving. Your pantry has been infested with weevils! Pro Staff, experts in pest control Des Moines, can help you identify weevils.
What’s a Weevil?
Weevils — a species of the beetle family — love to make themselves at home right in your pantry. These small, oval-shaped insects love to help themselves to a buffet made of your star grains, including rice, maize, or grains. Ranging from three millimeters to 10 millimeters in length, weevils tend to be dark in color and are most recognizable due to their distinctive head shape. Adult beetles have long, elongated heads with a snout.
Granary Weevils
Granary weevils make their home anywhere that contains wheat or grain. They tend to be more cylindrical and are typically 1/5 of an inch long; its snout alone accounts for a quarter of its body length. Granary weevils are reddish-brown to black in color and cannot fly, meaning they are typically close to whatever they’ve infested. Adult granary weevils can live for up to eight weeks, and in those eight weeks alone, a female granary weevil can lay as many as 200 eggs.
Rice Weevils
Rice weevils are the smallest of the weevil family, reaching only up to 1/16 of an inch in length. They tend to be reddish-brown to black in color but have distinctive red-yellow spots. Adult rice weevils can fly, meaning if you see them in your kitchen, you may have to investigate to find out what they’ve infested. During a rice weevil’s life span of five months, they can lay up to 400 eggs.
Maize Weevils
Typically reddish-brown to black, maize weevils have red-yellow spots similar to the rice weevil. However, they can grow up to a ⅛ of an inch long. Able to fly, it can often be difficult to pin down what maize weevils have infested. Make sure to check your entire pantry if you see one flying around. Maize weevils have a slower development period; complete development can take up to 36 days, and adult maize weevils can live up to eight months.
If you find that weevils of any kind have infested your food, throw that food away. Clear out your pantry and thoroughly clean it before storing food inside it again. To prevent an infestation, it can be helpful to store all of your food in airtight containers. If you find that weevils are a recurring pest in your pantry, contact Pro Staff, the pest control Des Moines professionals. Just give us a call at (515) 279-7378 for a no cost, no obligation quote.