Rice Weevils

Latin Name: Sitophilus oryzae

Months of Activity: January - December

Rice weevils present more of a nuisance than some other pantry pests because adults feed just as much as their larva and prefer a wider range of things to eat. Since they fly well and are small, rice weevils can move throughout the home easily infesting stored products.

Grains that they feed on would include wheat, rice, corn and various seed varieties. One common seed type is bird seed. Newly emerged adults leave a characteristic emergence hole in the grain.

Appearance

Rice weevils are a small insect, between 2-3mm long. They are mostly brown to black in colour and can have spots on their thorax and abdomen. They have a long "snout" which protrudes from the head. At the tip of the "snout" are a pair of mandibles which are used for chewing.

Lifecycle

Adult females will start laying eggs within 3 days of emerging from their pupa cocoons. Most will lay 300-600 eggs during their lifespan.

Rice weevils start their life as a small caterpillar-like larva and will hatch on foods such as a wheat grain, seed or nut. Eggs will hatch within a couple of days of being laid and the larva will feed immediately.

Feeding will occur for 1-3 weeks and then the larva will spin a cocoon in which they will pupate to an adult. Pupation takes about 1 week at which time the adults will emerge. The lifespan of the rice weevil varies from between several months to 1 year.

Pest Control

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.

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