Bedroom mi!

Hey, there homeowners! 

You’re most likely here because you’ve found this strange insect in your bedroom, you’re not quite sure how it got there and more importantly, you’re wondering “how to get rid of weevils in my room?”

Well, you’ve come to the right place. Today on pest control, we’ll be teaching you how to get rid of weevils.

First, let’s make sure the insect in your room is actually a weevil. 

Properly Identifying A Weevil And Understanding Their Feeding Habits

Weevils are usually very small in size. They are approximately 2 to 3 millimeters in terms of size length, with colors ranging from black to brown to a reddish looking color. 

There are quite a number of species of adult weevils that can be found in the house. Below is a list of common species of adult weevils:

• Seed bean/pea weevils 
• Granary/grain weevils
• Rice weevils
• Maize weevils 
• Seed weevils 

Chances are the types you’ve found in your bedroom are the rice weevils or the granary/maize weevils. 

Weevils love to feed on food rich in carbohydrates so when inspecting your house, the first food items you should check are foods like corn, wheat, oats, flour, rice and basically anything which contains starch in it. It is for this reason that weevils are commonly referred to as flour insects. 

The interesting thing is weevils use their tiny size to their advantage, the clever bugs. 

How do they do this? Well unlike other insects such as ants, beetles, and roaches, they don’t bother to carry their food around instead they live inside their food. 

Pretty cool for them, pretty disgusting for us humans who have to eat the food. 

Weevils have not only developed an efficient feeding habit, but they’ve also been able to create the perfect breeding ground for themselves. Again, pretty cool for them, pretty disgusting for us humans who have to eat the food. 

This is why they can be quite challenging to spot and get rid of. In most cases, they are literally born inside grain-like foods such as rice. They then live inside for a few weeks, and then they literally eat their way out. 

Typically, females will lay her eggs inside the kernels of the grain by creating a small hole, depositing her egg(s), and then sealing it. This process can be repeated as much as a hundred times. 

It’s interesting to note that if the grain is currently occupied by another egg, the female will avoid that particular grain. 

Once hatched, the weevil larvae start to eat their surroundings, spending the duration of their larval to pupal stages inside the grain. By the time this process is complete and they’ve successfully eaten their way through, they are now mature and full-grown and pose even more danger to the food items stored in your food pantries/cupboards/cabinets. 

Due to the way they reproduce and feed, don’t take the fact that you’ve discovered these pests in your bedroom so personally because they are a worldwide pest. 

They are the culprits behind a lot of crops being destroyed on a global scale. 

The world is still, in fact, trying to figure out the best way to solve this problem on a larger scale. However, luckily for you, bedrooms are not the natural habitats for weevils to reside so even though they may be hard to find, once you find them, getting rid of them is not a problem at all.

Please note that generally speaking, weevils do not have a parasitic nature and they don’t prey on humans nor do they transmit or carry harmful germs like a lot of many other insects. 

Nevertheless, having these insects in your bedroom is not the best living conditions so you need to get rid of them as soon as possible. 

How To Get Rid of Weevils In My Room

Inspect Your Bedroom Carefully 

This is to determine their path of entry into your bedroom in the first place. 

Weevils rarely leave behind their sources of food so check your storeroom, kitchen and your bedroom to determine the source of their breeding. 

Bear in mind that weevils live inside food not just on it in comparison to other insects like roaches, beetles, etc. So when carrying out your inspection, make sure you look very, very thoroughly and carefully. 

You may need to even use your hands to sift through dry foods like rice, beans, etc. This is just to be double sure because they may be hidden deep within food sources like these. 

We recommend you start the inspection with all areas where food is stored including food cupboards, cabinets, shelves, garages, etc. If you have pets, also check areas where their food is stored. 

Carefully and thoroughly inspect food packaging containing food like cereals, pasta, starches, grain, spices, flour, herbs, and even pet food. 

The likelihood of the weevil infestation in your bedroom beginning in the kitchen is very high. 

When inspecting your bedroom and other rooms in the house where necessary, concentrate your efforts on searching in the area closest to the closet. 

Carefully inspect areas like the carpet especially the carpet areas closest to the walls. You should always check close to your bed. 

What you need to look for are food items that look damaged and the adult weevils themselves. 

You should also look out for their young ones. Their larvae (eggs) look like small white maggots with brown heads. They are usually very tiny and it may be difficult to spot them. 

It is advised you look for a large group/clump of larvae and or adult weevils to make your search easier and quicker.

Use A Vacuum Cleaner To Thoroughly Clean Up  

The first thing you need to do to get rid of weevils is by doing an in-depth cleaning of your bedroom, kitchen, and food cupboard/pantry. 

If you are unsure about what to do with any food items that most likely have a weevil infestation, get rid of the item(s) by throwing them away completely in the dustbin. Do this for food items you suspect risk being infected as well. 

If you don’t want to throw your food items away, you can store them in a sealed plastic bag e.g. rice, then store it away somewhere safe. 

Any weevils present in the food items will try and escape anywhere between a few days and a few weeks so you will need to inspect the bag regularly. Once they reveal themselves, discard them in the bin at once.  

Once you’ve found the originating point of the infestation, it is recommended you discard all dry food items whether infested or not to reduce these food items from being re-infested. 

Now that the sources of infestation have been eliminated, you can vacuum your house meticulously in its entirety. You will need to literally vacuum all your kitchen food cupboard/pantry shelves, the floor and if possible, the ceiling. 

Do a thorough sweep with a sweeping brush after vacuuming to be very sure you’ve not missed out on any square inch of the house. 

While doing this, give priority to floor juncture between floor and kitchen cabinets, shelf edges and the walls. 

Once you’re satisfied everywhere is spotless, clean all surfaces like countertops and shelves using a damp, clean cloth dipped in germicide or mild detergent water. 

Ensure the cleaning products you’re using reaches the furthermost corners in the house, underneath heavy appliances e.g. microwave, fridge, washing machine and under all furniture.

Apply Pesticides To Infected Areas

Finally, if you’re the overly cautious type who likes to make sure you’ve dotted all I’s and crossed all T’s, you can go ahead and apply any pesticide of your choice to the infected areas. 

The good news is you don’t have to buy anything too elaborate or expensive to get the job done as pesticides you can buy over a counter work just as effectively because weevils are not so resistant to pesticides. 

Pesticides come in different forms including: 

• Aerosol 

The advantage of using aerosols is that some of the products come with straw attachments which makes it easier to apply to nooks and crannies in the house in order to get rid of weevils. 

Remember we’ve mentioned earlier nooks and crannies are the best hiding spots for adult weevils and larvae. 

Aerosols are an excellent pest control method with treatments lasting anywhere between 2 and 4 weeks. Please note when buying, one can is sufficient in treating a regular-sized pantry/food cupboard at least 3 times.

• Liquid Spray 

Liquid sprays are even more efficient simply because they are able to cover larger areas in the house making them more pocket-friendly in the long run. Liquid sprays are another excellent pest control method.  

They are also safer to use in areas of the house such as garages, laundry rooms, basements and spaces where items like grain products or pet food are usually stored. 

Worried about liquid sprays with a lingering smell? Then make sure you buy a product that is odorless and can also be sprayed on carpets and furniture. 

Liquid sprays are also ideal to use because they work by killing the larvae and eggs of the weevils. This ensures they don’t mature properly and that they don’t end up reproducing. 

As you spray, concentrate on critical areas like carpeting, moldings, furniture, rugs, and baseboards. You can achieve this by using a pump spray with a wide mouth/swath. 

These wide-mouth swaths ensure the mixture is distributed evenly without wasting the liquid and messing up the area carelessly.  

If you don’t like the idea of applying chemicals, you can always buy and install a weevil trap.

• Set Up A Pheromone Weevil Trap

These are triangular in shape and are typically small enough to fit into a pantry/food cupboard and in food cabinets. 

They work through the help of scented oils which can be added to the catch tray and they fit comfortably at the back corner of a cabinet. 

Once the trap is in place, any weevils entering or currently present inside the cabinet will be attracted to the pheromones being released by the oils, in addition to the smell of the food which will make it easier for them to be trapped. 

One trap should suffice inside each cabinet. 

Check the traps at least once a week.

The oil in the traps should be cleaned out and replaced every 2 weeks especially if they keep trapping unsuspecting weevils regularly. 

Note that as time progresses; you should not need to replace the traps because the weevils are supposed to be dying out with the traps having no weevils to catch anymore. 

If this is the case, you may need to retreat the infect areas by vacuuming and cleaning thoroughly and or applying your desired pesticide. 

If you’re having trouble setting up the trap for yourself, watch the video below:

Parting Advice On Pest Control

• Make sure food sources remain in the kitchen 
• Keep your room clean 
• If you can’t stop eating in your bedroom, we understand. Just make sure you clean your bedroom until it’s spotless to prevent another weevil infestation. 
• To prevent future manifestations of weevils in your room, place bay leaves at random intervals in nooks and crannies you found them when getting rid of them. 
• Bay leaves are a natural pest control technique to help get rid of weevils from returning to your bedroom so use them as generously as you can in strategic areas and corners of your bedroom. 
• Always ensure all areas of your house are completely free from food crumbs by doing a thorough clean of the house.