| Size: |
Rice weevils are about 1/8 in (3-4 mm) long. |
| Color: |
Adult is dull reddish brown; larva is creamy white with brownish-black head. |
| Characteristics: |
Adult's wing covers usually have 4 faint red to yellow pale marks; deep pits on thorax are round or irregular in shape; the midline of the pronotum is usually puncture-free. Wings are fully developed, used for flight. Male's snout is shorter, wider and with more distinct punctures than female's. Larva is legless, thickened in the middle for a humpback look, and fairly smooth; with 7-8 tiny fingerlike sensory projections on the lower mouthpart. |
| Geographic Range: |
The rice weevil is found all over the world, especially in warm climates. In the U.S. it is widely distributed in field and stored grain in the south, but only in stored grain to the north of North Carolina. |
| Food: |
Corn, wheat, rice, rye, buckwheat, cereals, beans, nuts, cotton, grapes, apples, pears. |
| Biology: |
The rice weevil female bores a hole in kernel of grain, lays an egg, then seals the hole with a gelatinous material. She lays 300-400 eggs in a lifetime, but seldom in winter. The cooler the temperature, the less egg-laying there is. Larvae go through 3-4 stages (instars) in about 18 days, and pupate for about 6 days. The adult rice weevil stays in the grain kernel for 3-4 days until it is hardened and mature. The complete life cycle can be as short as 32 days in summer. Adult may live 3-6 months. |
