HOW TO CONTROL WEEVILS

What Are Weevils?

Weevils are part of the beetle family. For the most part, they have the same hard, dark bodies that beetles do and go through the same life cycle. However, they stand out from other beetles because of their long snouts. 

Some weevils, like vine and root weevils, prefer to stay outside. You'll find them on a variety of trees and landscape plants, where they eat leaves and flowers. Once the larvae hatch, they'll go after your plant's roots, and even plant stems. Inside, grain-eating weevils look for rice, nuts, flour, cornmeal, cereal, and other stored grain products to feast on. Once they find a food source, they eat up and lay eggs, which will hatch into larvae that continue the feast. 

Whether inside or outside, weevils can become a major pest that consumes your plants or your pantry goods. Let's take a look at how to identify and—more importantly—get rid of weevils in your landscape or your home.

What Do Weevils Look Like?

There are many types of weevils, so their appearance will vary depending on the species. For instance, their color can range from dull browns to bright orange or green. Weevils can also have stripes, spots, patterns, or solid color. However, most of them share these common characteristics:

• 2 antennae
• 6 legs
• Wings (flight abilities vary by species)
• Typically 1/8 to 1/4 inch long
• Long snout (this is usually the key to weevil identification)

Signs of Weevils

Outdoors

Weevils can become a serious problem for your landscape plants. Look for these 2 main signs if you suspect you have weevils:

1. Scalloped or marginally notched leaves: A large infestation may even consume the leaves entirely, leaving only the main vein. This is a sign of adult feeding, and precautions will need to be taken to prevent future plant feeding by larvae, which can cause more plant damage than adults.
2. Stunted growth and yellowing, wilted leaves: This happens because small weevil larvae (also known as grubs) will eat feeder roots of plants and will go on to consume larger roots as they grow.

Indoors

There are several species of weevils that thrive on stored grain. Some of the most destructive species include the rice weevil, maize weevil, and granary weevil.

Finding holes in your rice or grain is a good indicator that you might have weevils in your pantry. This happens because female grain weevils use their strong mandibles to chew a hole into a kernel of grain to lay an egg. Then they seal the kernel and repeat this process. Some species will lay 300-400 eggs per female, quickly destroying large amounts of grain.

Getting Rid of Weevils

Outdoors

The best way to control weevils outside is to kill the adults because the larvae are often hidden in the soil and are more protected. If you spot weevils crawling on your plants then you know what the problem is. If you're having a hard time spotting one, then place some cardboard under your tree or shrub and shake it to see if weevils fall out. When they fall they will act dead but don't fall for their trick.

To kill these pests for real, treat weevils in your garden with Ortho® Insect, Mite & Disease 3-in-1 to spot treat affected plants. Use Ortho® BugClear™ Insect Killer for Lawns & Landscapes if you have a larger weevil problem or weevils in your lawn. Be sure to read and follow all label directions.

Indoors

Grain weevils are harmless to people, so they're more of a nuisance than a threat. Here's what to do if you find grain weevils in your pantry:

• Throw out any food that may have been contaminated.
• Remove everything from your cabinets or pantry so you can deep-clean the shelves.
• Be sure to throw away shelf liners and thoroughly clean surfaces.
• Vacuum around edges, corners, and around molding - don't leave a single grain behind.
• If you're still not sure that you got all the weevils, apply Ortho® Orthene® Ant & Roach Killer to cracks and crevices where they may be hiding. Follow all label directions.
• Once everything is clean and you're ready to restock, store food in tightly sealed containers made of glass or hard plastic.

If your pantry pest lacks the signature long snout of a weevil, then you may be dealing with flour beetles. Read this article for ways to identify and get rid of flour beetles.