Nothing startles you more than going into your pantry to get out your favourite rice, only to find tiny, brown bugs crawling in and around the rice kernels. These are rice weevils, which are considered a common pantry pest.
Does every bag of rice have weevils?
In Canada, rice weevils may come in hidden in purchased rice. These tiny beetles are 1/16”-3/16” (2-4 mm) long.
Most other pantry pests live and breed in the dust of broken grain kernels and other powders, where you can see all stages of development. Rice weevil eggs and larvae, on the other hand, hatch, grow and feed inside the rice or grain kernel, where you won’t see them until they emerge as adults.
They feed on whole kernels, such as rice, grains, nuts, beans, cereals, seeds, corn and other foods. Once emerged, adult rice weevils can live for 4-6 months. During this time, the female will, every day, drill a hole into a whole rice or grain kernel, lay an egg and patch up the hole. It takes 2-3 weeks to reach the adult stage.
Once in your pantry, any of this type of food that comes in soft paper or cardboard packages is a target for these pests. The rice weevil has strong chewing mouth parts that allow it to work its way into soft packages. Usually, whole kernel food items that stay in your pantry for extended periods of time are the most targeted.
Can rice with weevils be eaten?
At every stage of development, rice weevils contaminate your food with their bodies and their by-products. Essentially, these are nuisance pests that need to be eliminated immediately, once detected. When they mature, these pests may be found some distance from infested articles.
Should I throw away my rice if it has bugs?
The first thing you need to do to break the cycle is to empty all the affected shelves. Inspect each item as you proceed and throw out any soft package that is suspect immediately. If you aren’t sure, throw it out anyway. Best to lose this food than to chance continuing the cycle. Discarded items need to be placed in zip-lock bags, until trash day.
Next, you need to vacuum the shelf of any dust or spilled food, especially along cracks and crevices. Toss the vacuum bag out and seal it in a plastic bag to prevent any live bugs from escaping.
To complete the breaking of the life cycle, you need to apply Wilson CRAWL OUT Crawling Insect Killer along the cracks and crevices. Follow instructions on label.
Once the shelves are dry, wipe down the surfaces and re-introduce the saved food items.
How to store rice to avoid weevils?
It is strongly recommended that whole grain items that come in paper packages be placed in sealed containers, such as zip-lock freezer bags. Slow-moving, long-term items should be placed in more rigid plastic bins or glass jars, both with a sealed lid.
The most common carriers of pantry insects as eggs or beetles are bird seed and pet food. Store these packages in tightly sealed metal or plastic containers. And clean them out before refilling.
To monitor the effectiveness of your clean up strategy, place several Wilson CRAWL OUT Crawling Insect Traps within the “hot spot” areas, to confirm that the bugs are all gone.
Prevent future pest problems by using soft packaged dried food within 2-4 months of purchase and storing them before putting them in the pantry in sealed zip-lock bags or plastic/glass sealed containers.
