
Community identification
Rice Weevil
Sitophilus oryzae
- Order & Family
- Coleoptera: Curculionidae
- Size
- 2.0mm - 3.5mm
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.