Weevil often settles next to a person and very quickly renders pasta, flour and cereals unusable. It can be found in any country. Despite the fact that these bugs do not know how to fly, their relocation to new territory occurs at a record speed.
If a weevil is found in the apartment, then you need to get rid of it immediately, since the females lay many eggs. By the way, you can see only adult insects, and the eggs and larvae are inside the cereal grains. Therefore, it is not known how many more will appear. It is important to know how to get rid of the weevil in the apartment. This is a serious matter requiring careful consideration.
What is a pest?
Weevils in the apartment (photo) appear quite often, especially with improper storage of cereals and pasta. This bug has a long history, since the first mention of it was found in ancient Egypt.
Even then, the insect penetrated into storage and destroyed stocks. Despite the fact that the beetle mainly prefers a tropical climate, some of its species feel good in more severe conditions. Over the years, he has not lost his activity and quite often appears where various products are stored. Therefore, it is important to know how to deal with it and prevent it from appearing where food is stored.
It is rather difficult to consider what the weevil looks like, since the size of an adult insect averages 3.5 mm. At the initial stage of its development, it is light brown, but acquires a more saturated shade as it grows. The weevil got its name because of the special structure of the head of an elongated shape, which crowns its body, in shape resembling a cylinder. An insect cannot fly, but it moves very quickly with its legs.
A distinctive feature of it is its very powerful jaws, so the weevil in the apartment can easily violate the integrity of the packaging material and get to the products. For his comfortable stay, the temperature should be 10-25 degrees, humidity - 65%.
The female beetle gnaws holes in the grains and lays eggs in them, from which larvae appear after about 2 weeks. Developing, they eat grains from the inside and pupate. A hatched bug gnaws through the wall of the cereal and is outside. It is because of this that insects are very difficult to detect at an early stage. Already adult individuals become noticeable.
The structure of weevils varies somewhat depending on their species. They are short and long proboscis. Their main feature is the length of the rostrum and the location of the oral organs. In addition, they can develop inside the plant or in the soil.
Reproduction of bugs occurs in warm time. Some species produce offspring without fertilization. In a favorable climate, the breeding process takes place year-round.
What are the types
It is important not only to know where weevils come from in the apartment, but also what types of bugs are. In total, there are approximately 65 thousand species of insects. However, only 54 thousand species live in our country. Basically, bugs appear in the house, such as:
- barn;
- rice;
- striped;
- vegetable;
- fruit;
- walnut.
A barn weevil cannot fly, but its paws compensate for this shortcoming. The insect runs very quickly over long distances. Despite the fact that the bug is small, it is very voracious. The insect regales itself with flour, cereals and pasta.
Quite often rice weevils appear in the apartment, the photos of which allow you to accurately determine how they look. It destroys not only rice. The beetle quietly eats other cereals, as well as bread. This type of insect can use wings. It infects grain in the fields.
Striped nodule destroys legumes. This insect eats not only fruits. It also eats leaves, roots and shoots of plants. Vegetable weevils can completely destroy the entire crop of vegetables in the garden.
Fruit elephants are the main enemies of fruit trees. Bugs feed on flowers, buds and fruits. Larvae can also feed on roots. Walnut weevil lays eggs in unripened nuts, in particular, walnut and hazel. In spring, bugs hatch from a nut. They begin to spoil other products stored in the pantry or closet.
Why are they dangerous?
The weevil beetle appears in the apartment quite often, since it settles in cereals in warehouses. Damage from an insect can be in any of its life spans. Larvae eat stems or roots. The acorny weevil grows directly in the fruits of the oak and feeds on its inside.
Elephants eat almost all types of vegetation, however, pests can be divided into several varieties that use only a certain culture, namely:
- berry;
- legumes and grains;
- vegetable;
- vineyards;
- fruit.
Weevil is not a predator. He does not bite, but does quite a lot of harm. People should not eat contaminated foods. In such food, chitinous particles of the insect and its waste products are preserved. Even a healthy person can begin to suffer from intestinal disorders. Allergy sufferers and immunocompromised people can get serious illnesses.
Insects can be the culprits of infection with dangerous bacteria and fungal infections. That is why you need to immediately get rid of the weevil in the apartment. There are many different ways to do this.
Where do weevils come from?
Quite often weevils appear in the apartment. Where they come from is of interest to many people, since bugs are very dangerous. The insect destroys all the products that it can reach. This pest quickly assimilates in a new environment and tolerates various natural changes quite freely.
A man himself launches weevils into the house along with products from a store or market. Cereal products are infected by them even in the warehouse, and then they get on the packaging and store shelves.
When purchasing products with weevils and weevils in the store, they are very difficult to notice, since the grains remain clogged inside. And only when an adult comes out of them, it will be possible to notice traces of damage and the bugs themselves.
How to deal with weevils
If weevils appeared in the apartment, absolutely everyone should know how to get rid of them, since they bring quite a lot of harm. It is quite possible to get rid of insects, the main thing is to do it immediately after they are found in products.
If at least one bug has appeared, then you need to carefully check all pasta, cereals, and even tea. Contaminated products must be sent to the garbage chute immediately. Those products that did not appear near the source of infection should be protected. To do this, you can influence them with a low temperature. It is dangerous at all stages of the development of this insect, so for a couple of days you can remove the packs of cereal in the freezer or, if it is frosty outside, put them on the balcony. In addition, you can warm the grits in the oven. It will be enough to hold the products in it for several hours at a temperature of 60 degrees.
After the weevil was found in the cereal and the affected products were destroyed, it is necessary to wipe all the walls and shelves of the cabinets with soap and water, and then carefully treat the surfaces with vinegar diluted with water.
These are fairly simple measures that do not cause any difficulties at all. However, they are an integral part of pest management. Having carried out these measures, in the future, you can use chemical and folk remedies to combat weevil.
The use of chemicals
If weevils appeared in an apartment (photo), everyone should know how to get rid of them, since they spoil a lot of products. It should be borne in mind that absolutely any drugs used must be absolutely safe for humans. This is due to the fact that insects live in foods. Setting traps or placing drugs on shelves are simply ineffective methods of control.
In order to prevent the spread of weevil in the apartment, it is necessary to carry out processing by such means as Inta-Vir or Furafon. You need to cook them strictly according to the instructions.
In addition, it is possible to carry out chemical processing of cereal stocks with such preparations as Actellik, Arrivo, Karate. It is worth remembering that only specialists should carry out processing. People can be indoors only after thorough ventilation. This method helps to completely destroy weevils, however, it is not recommended to consume processed foods.
Folk techniques
Many are interested in how to get rid of the weevil beetle in the apartment by folk methods. Mustard powder and water are considered a good remedy. To make a solution, you need to dissolve 100 g of mustard in 3 liters of standing water. This tool can be used to process shelves in cabinets in the kitchen where cereals are stored, or to spray indoor plants.
Plants such as tansy, wormwood, lavender, bay leaf can be laid out on shelves. They have a pungent smell. Mint and cloves are also suitable. If there is oil or lavender extract, you can moisten a cotton pad in them and leave it on a shelf with cereals. Mint, peel of citrus fruits, eucalyptus have a deterrent effect. You can put unpeeled garlic cloves directly into the cereal bowl.
If rice weevil appeared in the apartment, then you can scare it off by treating the possible places of their appearance with a mixture of ammonia, turpentine, kerosene and liquid soap, taken in equal proportions.
Prophylaxis
When weevils appeared in the apartment, you must immediately deal with them. In addition, it is important to take certain preventative methods that will help prevent their reappearance. You don’t need to buy too much bulk groceries for this. Reserves should be enough for no more than 2-3 months. The longer the products are stored, the higher the risk of infection by insects.
For prevention, you can seal the purchased flour in a bag intended for freezing and send it to the freezer for 96 hours. This will help destroy weevils and their eggs if the product has previously been infected.
It is best to store bulk products in sealed containers. It is important to strictly monitor their expiration date. In the kitchen you need to maintain cleanliness, immediately remove what was spilled or spilled. Wipe the shelves and cabinet walls regularly with soapy water and clove oil. It is enough to deliver only a few drops of aroma oil. The surface can be wiped with tea tree oil or eucalyptus.
On the surface of the shelves you can put peeled cloves of garlic, cloves, lavender flowers, bay leaf. Bay leaf can also be placed in a container with food. It is recommended to send 2-3 pieces of nutmeg to the flour. In a bag with beans or peas - pour a little dried hot pepper. After some time, the bugs will leave the food. Pack mint chewing gum next to the cereal bags.
If the insects in the kitchen will not have what to eat, then they will not stay in such a house. Be sure to adhere to the basic rules of prevention, in particular such as:
- use sealed containers made of plastic or glass for storing cereals;
- do not make excess stocks of nuts and cereals;
- monitor the humidity level in the room;
- regularly wipe the surface with a solution of vinegar and soap.
It is important to regularly check products in order to start the fight against bugs in a timely manner.
Tips & Tricks
In order not to settle weevil bugs in the apartment, you must adhere to the basic rules of food storage. So, in the cabinets where stocks of cereals, flour and pasta are stored, there must always be perfect cleanliness. It is necessary to abandon the use of paper and plastic bags. The best option would be plastic, tin or glass containers with a tight-fitting lid. They are specifically designed to store food.
Before pouring the cereal into a container, it must first be washed with a detergent or simply wiped with a towel dipped in a weak solution of vinegar. After that, dry the container well. The optimal level of humidity in a container for storing flour or cereal can be maintained by placing a bag of natural fabric filled with salt on its bottom. Stocks of cereals in the house should not be too large. You need to buy products on the basis that they will last for 2-3 months.
When purchasing flour or cereal, you need to pay attention to when they were produced and packaged. To prevent the likelihood of the formation of insects in the flour, certain preventive measures must be taken. If possible, it is worth storing cereals and pasta in the refrigerator so that the temperature is no higher than 10 degrees.
Product Storage Rules
For storage of cereals and pasta, it is recommended to purchase containers made of food-grade plastic, glass or stainless steel with tight-fitting lids. It is not recommended to use paper bags, as the weevil easily gnaws them. Before reusing containers, rinse with a solution of salt and soda. To do this, dilute 1 tsp. in 1 tbsp. water. Mustard and vinegar taken in the same proportions helps.
Bulk products should be stored in dry containers in a cool, darkened place, preferably on the bottom shelf of the kitchen cabinet. To repel insects, put a dried orange peel on the bottom of the container.