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Adult wheat weevils are about 3–5 mm (0.12–0.20 in) long with elongated snouts and chewing mouth parts. [2] Depending on the grain kernels, the size of the weevil varies. In small grains, such as millet or grain sorghum, they are small in size, but are larger in maize (corn). [3] The adults are a reddish-brown colour and lack distinguishing ...
The maize weevil and the rice weevil look very much alike but external features can be used to differentiate the vast majority of adults. However, the only reliable features to distinguish adults of both species are the genitalia (see table below). Both species can hybridize. The genitalic structure of hybrids is unknown. [9] [10] [8] [7]
An adult emerges from inside a grain of rice. Adult rice weevils are able to fly, [6] and can live for up to two years. Females lay 2–6 eggs per day and up to 300 over their lifetime. The female uses strong mandibles to chew a hole into a grain kernel after which she deposits a single egg within the hole, sealing it with secretions from her ...
The adult female weevil bores a hole in a grain, nut, or seed, and deposits an egg, usually one egg per individual grain. She seals the hole with a secretion. The larva develops while feeding on the interior of the grain, and then pupates. It usually leaves the grain completely hollow when it exits as an adult. [6]
The adult rice weevil has an orange-black exoskeleton and lays up to 450 eggs in pores of the damaged grains with each hatched egg further damaging the grain from the inside. Similarly to the lesser grain borer, maturation also happens inside the grain with the matured adult rice weevil eating through the husk of the grain to get out.
The grain or wheat weevil (Sitophilus granarius) damages stored grain, as does the maize weevil (Sitophilus zeamais), among others. The boll weevil (Anthonomus grandis) attacks cotton crops; it lays its eggs inside cotton bolls and the larvae eat their way out. Other weevils are used for biological control of invasive plants.
Weevils also are known to infest oats, rice, corn, corn meal, sorghum, and cereal, so you might want to apply the same practice you do to your flour as those items as well.
However, other Ahasverus species look very similar and particular confusion can occur with Ahasverus rectus, which is also found in grain bins in North America. The larvae are worm-like, cream-colored and often reach a length of 3 mm before pupating into darker adults. Males and females are identical in appearance both as larvae and adults.