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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Weevils

Posted by bugman April 2nd, 2002 at 1:00 am

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Weevils

I live in a bi-level home, and have been there for 7 years now. All of a sudden this year I have a new bug aprox 3/16 long with 6 legs and 2 antenna, 1 on each side of what looks like an anteater’s snout. I have a coal stove in my finished basement so it is warm there. These bugs seem to be mostly on one of two white throw rugs in the middle of the floor, or can be found on the concrete floor next to any white dry wall. They appear to have a short life span, crawl only, no jumping, and so far have not been found upstairs. What are they and how do I get rid of them? Oh yeah. they are brown in color.
thank you
Bob Whitford

Dear Bob,
Based on your description, I suspect you may have a weevil infestation. Weevils are the world’s largest family of animals, numbering in excess of 35,000 members worldwide, so exact identification based on a verbal description is nearly impossible. They are small beetles with the front part of the head elongated into a snout or proboscis. Members of the family include pantry beetles which find their way into grain products, munching happily and unnoticed, and reproducing in vast quantities. Here is the frightening part. Hogue states that "several species act as intermediate hosts and vectors of the human tapeworms Hymenopepis nana and H. diminuta. People acquire infections by ingesting beetles containing the larval (or cysticercoid) stages of the tapeworm, which will often remain viable in infested corn meal and wheat flour that is undercooked."

Robert responds:
You are correct, I was just visited today by our local exterminator. In the fall I put a bag of scratch grain that was given to me in my
basement so I could feed the spring turkeys. Well, looks like I get to see more than just turkeys around my house. His solution is to remove the grain & clean the area. This should stop the bug problem. Do you agree?

To which "What’s That Bug?" replies:
Congratulations Robert.
Cleaning out the grain in the basement is a good start. Hopefully, the pantry beetles did not get as far as the kitchen. They can foul even the best homemaker’s flour and other grain products. I have even found weevils in the dry mushrooms.
Have a nice day.

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