Weevils in rice and flour: what are they and how to avoid these bugs

It may have happened to you before: you go to take the pot with the flour and you see that it is full of small dark bugs. Are the weevils, some insects that feed mainly on rice and flour. Although do not transmit diseases, they are obviously a nuisance that you surely want to get rid of. We explain how to get it naturally.

weevil: what is it

Weevils are some insects of the family Curculionidae (Curculionidae). They are similar to beetles, although very small, from among 2 and 3 millimeters in lengthand have a hard and elongated brown body.

They are very common in kitchens, especially in areas where pasta, flour or rice is storedWhat are your favorite foods?

The females lay their eggs in places where there are grains and other dry products (flour, rice, seeds, legumes…) and, when they hatch, the larvae feed on them.

Although they do not suppose no risk to human healthcan affect the quality of food, since they contaminate it with their waste.

Why do weevils appear?

Weevils (or their larvae) may already be present in food at the time of purchase. In this regard, it is important to note that the environmental conditions may favor their survival and development. They like warm and humid environments.

On the other hand, if we store food in open or cracked containers, weevils can enter and reproduce there. from other foods.

How to prevent weevils from appearing naturally

To prevent weevils from appearing in rice or flour we can put into practice some simple but very effective measures:

Store food in cool, dry places. The main thing to prevent weevils from appearing is to correctly store food in places where they cannot enter and reproduce, especially those on which they feed, such as flour, rice and seeds. For this, it is convenient to use airtight containers and store them in cool and dry places.Check stored food often. To avoid infestations, it is also important to periodically check the places where you store dry food to make sure that weevils have not appeared and, if they already are, to be able to isolate them from other products.Periodically clean storage areas. It is advisable to avoid any trace of food and keep the area where we keep flour, pasta and rice clean and dry.Freeze food beforehand. An easy way to prevent weevils or larvae that may already be in food from reproducing and spreading is freeze them for a few dayssince these insects cannot survive very cold temperatures.

Scare weevils away with plants and spices. Some herbs and spices, such as mint, cloves, cinnamon or bay leaf (fresh)could help prevent them from appearing and you can place them in areas where you store food.

How to get rid of weevils naturally

If you already have a weevil infestation in food, you can try different natural methods to eliminate them:

Weevils and their larvae cannot survive extreme temperatures, so exposing infested foods to the sun for a few minutes or freezing them can be good ways to eliminate them. Once the insects are dead, they should be removed from the food. You can try natural pesticides As the neem oilhe peppermint oil wave diatomite or diatomaceous earth (a natural material that results from the fossilization of algae) can be effective in controlling the weevil infestation.

If the infestation is significant, the best option may be discard affected food to avoid perpetuating their presence and prevent them from spreading to other foods.