Weevil Control: How to Get Weevils and Pantry Pests Out of Your Kitchen

You open a bag of rice or a jar of popcorn and something small and brown is walking around in it. If it has a long snout, you are looking at a weevil. The good news: weevils are harmless to people and pets. The bad news: by the time you see adults, they have usually spread to more than one package. This guide walks you through finding the source, cleaning up once and keeping them out.

How to identify weevils

Weevils are small beetles with a snout that sticks out in front of the head. The two you are most likely to find in a kitchen are the rice weevil and the granary weevil. Both are about 1/8 inch long, brown to reddish brown, with a hard body that looks pitted with tiny holes.

If the beetle has no snout, it is a different pantry pest. The cleanup steps below still apply to all of them. Small beetles in closets or on wool, rather than in food, are more likely carpet beetles. For other indoor insects, start with our household insect identification guide.

Signs you have weevils

Weevil larvae grow inside whole kernels and seeds, so an infested package can look normal for about a month. You usually notice the problem when adults chew their way out. Look for:

• Small brown beetles in or near rice, grain, beans, popcorn or birdseed.
• Kernels with small round exit holes.
• Fine dust at the bottom of a grain container.
• Beetles walking on shelves or counters some distance from the food. Rice weevil adults live for months and wander.

Weevils feed on whole grains and seeds, not on finished flour. If you find insects in flour or pancake mix, you probably have a flour beetle or a pantry moth instead.

Where weevils come from

Weevils almost always arrive inside food. An infested bag of rice, a box of whole grain or a sack of birdseed comes home from the store, and the weevils spread from there. The original source is often a forgotten, half-used package at the back of a shelf. Less obvious sources include:

• Decorative Indian corn and dried seed arrangements.
• Birdseed and wildlife feed stored in the garage.
• Saved garden seeds.
• Old grain-based mouse bait. If you still need it for a mouse problem, keep it in a closed bait station and see our guide to getting rid of mice.
• Bean bags filled with dried beans or grain.

How to get rid of weevils, step by step

One thorough cleanup works far better than a quick look every few days.

1. Empty the cupboard. Take everything out of the pantry, cupboard or bin where you saw weevils.
2. Inspect every product. Open each package of grain, rice, beans, seeds, pasta, cereal and nuts. Check items stored under cans and other containers too.
3. Throw out infested food. Seal it in a plastic bag and put it in an outdoor trash can. If you are unsure about a package, treat it as infested.
4. Vacuum the shelves. Use a crevice tool on corners, shelf supports and cracks, then empty the vacuum outside.
5. Wipe down and dry. Plain soap and water is fine for cleanliness. Bleach, ammonia and disinfectant washes do not kill weevils, so there is no reason to use harsh cleaners.
6. Check other storage spots. If the pantry looks clean but weevils keep appearing, look at birdseed, pet food, decorations and seed packets elsewhere in the house.
7. Move food into sealed containers before you restock (see prevention below).

Freezing and heating infested food

If you would rather save a small amount of grain, or you want to treat birdseed or decorative corn, temperature works.

• Freezing: hold the item at 0°F for 3 to 4 days. A standard home freezer set to 0°F works. This kills eggs, larvae, pupae and adults.
• Heating: spread small amounts in a shallow pan and heat to 140°F for 15 minutes. Watch decorative items closely so they do not scorch.

After treatment, sift out the dead insects. Large amounts of infested grain are not worth treating at home; dispose of them.

Do not spray insecticide in food cupboards. Extension specialists do not recommend it. Spraying on or near food can do more harm to you than to the insects, and it does nothing to the larvae inside the kernels. Removing the infested food is what solves the problem. Our guide to using pesticides safely at home explains why products meant for other rooms do not belong near food.

How to keep weevils from coming back

• Use sealed containers. Glass jars with gasket lids, metal tins or heavy plastic containers with tight lids keep weevils in or out. Paper, cardboard and thin plastic bags do not.
• Freeze new purchases of whole grains, rice and birdseed for a few days if you have had trouble before.
• Buy what you will use. Grain that sits for many months gives a small infestation time to grow.
• Do not buy damaged packages.
• Do not mix old and new food in the same container. Wash containers before you refill them.
• Keep shelves dry and clean. Crumbs and spills in corners feed pantry pests. The kitchen section of our room-by-room prevention plan covers the rest of the room.
• Store birdseed and pet food in lidded bins, ideally away from the kitchen.

Pantry moths: the other common pantry pest

If you see small moths fluttering in the kitchen at night, or silk webbing in flour, cereal or dried fruit, you have Indianmeal moths. Adults are about 1/2 inch long with two-tone wings: pale gray near the body, coppery brown on the outer part. The larvae are whitish caterpillars, often with a pink or green tint, and they leave clumps of webbing and droppings in food.

The cleanup is the same as for weevils, with two additions:

• Look beyond the food. Mature larvae crawl away to pupate, so check shelf corners, the underside of shelves and the joint where shelves meet the wall.
• Use pheromone traps to monitor. Indianmeal moth traps attract males only. They will not end an infestation by themselves, but they tell you whether moths are still emerging after cleanup. Place them near the old infestation, check them weekly and replace them about every three months. A fresh catch means it is time to inspect packages again.

When to call a professional

Most kitchen weevil problems are a cleanup job, not a pest control service call. Get professional help if:

• You store grain, seed or feed in bulk, such as on a farm, in a barn or for a business.
• You run a food business, where inspections and records may be required.
• Insects keep appearing after a thorough cleanup and you cannot find the source.

For large stored quantities, a licensed provider may recommend fumigation, which homeowners should not attempt. Before you hire anyone, read our questions to ask a pest control company.

Weevil questions

I already ate some. Will I get sick? Weevils do not carry disease, so a few cooked weevils are not a health threat. Throw out the infested food anyway; it will keep spreading the problem.

Will weevils damage my house or furniture? No. They only feed on grains and seeds and do not bite, sting or damage structures.

Why do I keep seeing a few weevils after cleaning? Adults that left the food before you cleaned can live for months, and larvae inside a missed package will keep emerging. Recheck everything once more, including birdseed and decorations, and keep susceptible foods sealed or frozen for several months.