Dealing With a House Beetle Problem
November 3rd, 2009 Posted in Beetles & Ladybugs
Homes are invaded by many different species of beetles every day. One house beetle that often causes infestations is the rice weevil.
The beetle mostly attack farms and crop fields, leaving a mess wherever they’ve recently eaten. However, they often enter homes in search of any whole grain they can get a hold of.
By better understanding how to identify a rice weevil based on their appearance and habits, the better you will be at controlling them and not letting them become an infestation that controls you.
This article will discuss:
Identification and Habits
Found in many tropical climates, it has now become common to also see them in temperate environments as well. The rice weevil has moved to temperate environments because many of them have stowed away in rice being transported into these new climates.
The adult rice weevil is only 2.5 to 4 mm long. They tend to be dark brown and have a long distinct snout. They have elbowed antennae, as well as 4 red patches on their forewings.
An adult rice weevil has the ability to fly, but tends to only fly when they need to disperse. A female rice weevil lay most of its eggs 4 weeks after they emerge from their own egg. A female weevil lays approximately 150 eggs in its lifetime.
Adult rice weevils live for about 4 to 12 months. The rice weevil feeds on any whole grain products including wheat, corn, rice, oats, barley, rye, sorghum, buckwheat, dried beans, cashew nuts, wild bird seed, cereal products, macaroni, and more. This reason alone is why anyone from a farmer to a housewife can have a rice weevil infestation seriously affect them.
Control Methods
The key part of controlling a rice weevil infestation is finding the source. Place a regular sticky bug trap around the room to help point out where they are coming from. A sticky trap can just be a plate with wheat on it to entice the weevils, and glue on it to stick them to the plate.
The traps with more beetles on them are probably closest to where the source of the infestation is. One common source of rice weevil is an old box of cereal or decorative Thanksgiving corn. Weevils can be found inside many different things, but it’s mostly important to remember to throw out the infested materials.
Weevils can be killed at all stages of life either by extreme heat or cold. However, it might be hard to make your kitchen 120°F for an hour. Thus a more efficient way to deal with them is by keeping products they would most-likely infest in plastic, glass, or metal containers.
By placing food and items in bug-proof containers, the bugs are prevented from entering the item, and thus lowering the attractiveness of your kitchen for a future infestation. Lastly, in conjunction with proper storage, keeping your kitchen clean will dramatically decrease any chance of infestations from the rice weevil and most bugs.
EcoSMART’s organic insecticides are the easiest way to prevent further house beetle invasions into your home. By spraying the harmless insecticides around your kitchen, you ensure any infestations of rice weevils and other house beetles will not occur in your home again. Chemical-free insecticide ensures a bug-free home and a safe family.
