Services > Pest Management > Stored-product Pests > Rice Weevil



Latin Name:
Sitophilus oryzae

Appearance:
Reddish-brown and about 1/8-inch long with four light red or yellow spots on the wing covers.

Habit:
Widely distributed, but most common in the southern states. Can fly and frequently infests grain both in the field and in storage.

Diet:
Both adults and larvae feed on the seed kernels of a wide variety of grains. Occasionally infest beans and nuts.

Reproduction:
Female bores a hole in grain kernel, deposits a single egg and seals the hole with a gelatinous fluid. May lay 300 to 400 eggs in the average lifetime of four to five months.

Other:
Probably the most destructive pest of stored grain. Infested grain that does not have any visible damage can be detected by staining techniques that make the gelatinous egg plugs visible. Also known as the black weevil.