Rice Weevil
Order: Coleoptera
The Rice Weevil is one of the most important stored product pests. It infests stored grains in the North but can attack grains in the field in the southern United States.
Description: Adult Rice Weevils are generally 1/8 inch long and a dull reddish brown color. They typically display four pale yellow or red marks on their wing covers. The snout or beak is characteristically down turned and elongated. Rice Weevil larvae are creamy white with a brownish to black head and relatively smooth.
Biology: Female Rice Weevils will lay 300 - 400 eggs in their lifetime in holes bored into kernels of grain. The larva develops through 3–4 instars in an average of 18 days, and upon pupation (3–9 days) will emerge as an adult Rice Weevil. The adult will remain with the kernel of grain for 3–4 days until it matures and hardens. The entire life cycle (egg to egg) time frame can be as little as 32 days in optimal conditions.
Habits: Despite its name, the Rice Weevil can attack a wide variety of grain products and even some fruits. Rice Weevils can infest corn, wheat, beans, nuts, cereals, rye, buckwheat, stored cotton, grapes, apples, pears, and of course, rice. Rice Weevils do have fully developed wings and have the ability to fly. They are attracted to light. |
