Weevils are one of the most difficult insect to get rid of within your home and they are often undiscovered until your entire cupboard is infested with these pesky insects. Weevils are commonly found in bags of grain, cereal or oatmeal. A female weevil has the ability to lay up to 260 eggs, one in each grain, and the larvae feeds on the grain until pupation, where it then bores itself out of the grain as a full grown adult. The weevil can live up to eight months after this process. Female weevils will then begin to repeat the life cycle. Pouring a bowl of cereal only to find a bowl of captain weevils is not the way to start your morning off. There are certain steps you can take to keep weevils out of your home. Stewart Termite & Pest Control offer some helpful tips below.
A Clean Kitchen Will Deter Weevils from Entering
When weevils are first discovered, home owners tend to go into panic mode thinking they have been invaded by some type of alien from another planet that will steal their soul and eat their children. This is not true; in fact weevils do not even bite. The best way to start fixing the problem is to remove everything from your kitchen pantry. Grains, flours, pasta, cereal, sugar and dried beans should all be inspected thoroughly for any sign of more weevils. Throw out every single object that has been contaminated, tightly seal the garbage bag and dispose of it out in the dumpster immediately. Once you have removed everything from your kitchen pantry, wipe your pantry shelves down with some white vinegar. This will disinfect the surfaces and kill any eggs that were left behind.
Weevils Love to Get in Flour
Weevils are extremely attracted to flour, and while we really enjoy having large amounts of food storage around just in case the zombie apocalypse happens, do your best to purchase your flour in small amounts. Having a large oversized container of flour in your kitchen is a sure way to invite weevils over for dinner. The faster flour is used, the better; only buy enough flour to keep in stock for no more than a month. Many home owners have begun to freeze their flour. Freezing flour for 96 hours will kill any weevils and their eggs that have gotten into your flour. Even after you have killed the weevils and the eggs that are in your flour, if you’ve got weevils in other areas of the cupboard, they will migrate and infest your flour again if it is not properly and tightly stored.
Pest Management
If you have discovered weevils in your home or want to prevent pest infestations, contact Stewart Termite & Pest Control today!