Rice Weevil

Natural Habitat

Found worldwide in grain storage facilities, pantries, and processing plants.

Diet & Feeding

Stored cereal grains including rice, wheat, corn, and barley.

Behavior Patterns

Adults can fly and are attracted to light. Females chew a hole into a grain kernel to deposit a single egg, then seal it with a waxy secretion. The larvae develop entirely inside the kernel.

Risks & Benefits

Significant economic pest of stored crops. While not physically harmful to humans (they do not bite or sting), they contaminate food supplies and can cause extensive damage to pantry goods.

Identified on: 3/5/2026