There are many pantry pests which can infest homes and businesses. Though Meal Moths, Grain Beetles and Flour Beetles are very common, Rice Weevils are just as likely to be the unwanted insect in such areas. Rice Weevils are small and easy to kill, but they can complete their life cycle quickly. Adult females will start laying eggs almost immediately so once you have some activity in a structure, it is sure to blossom into a problem which will need attention. Found throughout the world, Rice Weevils are a pest which can be controlled like many other pantry pests. Find the route of entry, discard infested food or belongings and treat with both residual insecticides and traps.

Insecticide For Rice Weevils

Rice weevils are a small insect, about 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch long. They are mostly brown to black in color and can have spots on their thorax and abdomen. As the name implies, they like rice. However, Rice weevils can be found eating just about anything in the home. They typically like seeds of all types, dried beans, cotton, nuts, cereal, any wheat product, corn, flour, pasta, bread and other grain products found in most any home. But their tastes don’t end in the pantry.

Rice Weevils will readily feed on cotton fabric found in furniture and clothing. They love dried flowers and plants, decorative ornaments and dried flower arrangements as well. In fact its not uncommon to find them living in or on Christmas ornaments, dried flower collections and stored clothing. And unlike other pantry pests, rice weevil adults love apples, pears, grapes and other fruit. Since they fly well, it is not uncommon for them to enter a home attracted by the scent of some fruit or grain.

 

RICE WEEVIL LARVAE

Rice weevils start their life as a small caterpillar (larvae) which typically hatches on a food like wheat grain, seeds or nuts. Eggs will hatch within a couple of days of being laid and feed immediately. Feeding will occur for 1-3 weeks and then larvae will spin a cocoon in which they will pupate to an adult.

 

RICE WEEVIL PUPAE

Pupation takes about 1-2 weeks and when complete, adults will emerge. Rice weevils present more of a nuisance compared to other pantry pests because adults feed just as much as their larva preferring a wide range of things they’ll eat. Since they fly well and are small, rice weevils can move throughout the home easily finding all kinds of food. Adult females can start laying eggs within 3 days of emerging from their pupa cocoons. Most will lay 300-600 eggs during their 3-6 month life span so just one female can cause a huge problem. Since rice weevils can grow from egg to reproducing adults in less than one month, they can be a formidable foe in and around the home. If you suspect you have rice weevil activity, there are several things needed to knock out current activity and get them under control.

 

HOW TO CONTROL A RICE WEEVIL INFESTATION

Here are guidelines and treatments needed to control a local rice weevil problem.

First, empty all cabinets, shelves and closets where they’ve been seen or thought to exist. Any food stuff which has them active must be discarded in sealed plastic bags before throwing them out. This will contain them until the garbage is picked up.

If you are unsure something has activity, store it in a plastic bag and check it every week. If there are rice weevils in it they will try to get out within a few weeks. If some are found, throw it away immediately; if you don’t see any live activity after 3 weeks you can assume to safe to keep.

Since this pest is temperature tolerant, don’t waste your time trying to freeze adults, eggs or larva. Though you can certainly kill some by freezing, eggs and pupae will only go dormant until it gets warm enough for them to continue developing. So even if you store something for  months in the freezer, once you take it out any eggs or pupae would just continue on as if nothing ever delay ed them. In the end, you could end up getting a whole new problem by saving something heavily infested which was hard to notice because you froze its contents.

 

RICE WEEVIL TREATMENTS

Once the infested product is discarded, you’re just about ready to treat. We always suggest to first vacuum all closets, shelves, cupboards, pantries and baseboards about to be sprayed. This will help by removing eggs and some pupae. It will also remove hard to see food their young would eat. Rice Weevils lay eggs with a glue like excretion which helps protect their brood by attaching them to surfaces where food is likely to be available. So even though vacuuming will help, it will not be a solve all.

 

 

AEROSOL SPRAY FOR RICE WEEVILS

Once everything has been removed and you’ve done a good vacuuming of the areas with activity, you’ll be ready to spray. We have several products that work well for cabinets, pantries and areas with lots of cracks and crevices.

The first option is FS MP AEROSOL. This product is odorless and fast acting. If you know where they’re focused, FS MP will work well. Use it in pantries, cabinets, under the sink and even in baseboards. The can comes with a straw attachment making it ideal for cracks and crevices where adults and larva like to hide. Be sure to treat all your cabinets too – not just where you think the weeviles may be hiding.

Insecticide For Rice Weevils

Remember, rice weevils are small, fast and quick to hide when ever people are around disturbing them. And since they fly, its easy to miss where they might be active so its important to treat every cabinet.. Let the treatment dry for 1 hour and after that, all dishes and food stuff go back without hazard to people or pets. Expect to treat every 2 weeks if you see continued activity at that time. If not, treat every 2-3 months to insure they don’t come back.

List Of Insecticide For Rice Weevils