Photo Album: Rice Weevils Found in Dry Storage Room in Manasquan, NJ
It was Rice Weevils!
We noticed several of these black insects were all over the storage room as well as on one of our monitoring devices that was previously installed. As we took a closer look, we identified them as rice weevils!
What Are Rice Weevils
Adult weevils are about 3/32 to 1/8 inch long (2-3mm) and are a dull reddish-brown to black with round or irregularly shaped pits on the thorax and four light reddish or yellowish spots on the elytra (wing covers). The adult weevil can fly and is attracted to lights while the larval stage is legless, humpbacked, white to creamy white, with a small tan head.
What Do They Eat?
Rice weevils are usually found in grain storage facilities or processing plants, infesting wheat, oats, rye, barley, rice, and corn. Although not often found in the home, they are sometimes found infesting beans, birdseed, sunflower seeds, and dried corn.
Some Items Need to Go
Unfortunately, a number of items were infested and we informed the owner that they must be disposed of quickly. Additionally, all items must be placed in new, sturdy containers. For treatment, we applied a liquid residual to the storage area, which will exterminate the rice weevils in a short amount of time. Lastly, we replaced all our monitoring devices and scheduled several follow up visits.