On Saturday morning we awoke to a rather horrifying sight: hundreds of little brown bugs pouring out of the pantry cupboard and across the kitchen floor.
We've encountered ants, pantry moths, and grain beetles but this was a new one for us ... research revealed our new visitors to be grain weevils.
Here's what we've learned about grain weevils and how you can prevent them from invading your bag of rice/wheat or Semovita…
The rice and granary weevil are pests of stored grain and seeds. They develop inside whole grain kernels
as small, white, wrinkled, grub-like larvae. There is generally no external evidence that the larvae have been eating and growing inside the seed until after
about one month when the adult weevil chews through the seed coat and emerges. The adult weevils are 1/8th inch long and have slender, hard-shelled bodies that appear pitted or scarred with tiny holes. They are brown to reddish brown in color.
Though they are harmless to people, houses, furniture, clothing and pets. They cannot bite or sting and they do not carry diseases. The harm they do is destruction of the seeds they infest and the annoyance of being in the wrong place.
These are steps that can be taken to eliminate and prevent rice or grain weevils.

• Inspect all grains upon purchase.
• Freeze grains for at least 1 week (or store permanently in the freezer) to kill any eggs.
• Buy grains in small quantities and eat within a reasonable period of time. (We certainly learned our
lesson with this one!)
• Store grains in tightly sealed glass, metal, or sturdy plastic containers (not bags).
• Place a dried bay leaf in each container or bag of stored grain and flour. This will discourage weevil infestation.
• Small bags of black pepper placed around the cupboard/pantry or shelves may repel weevils.

• Discard any infested foods. Grain weevils can bore through plastic and cardboard so inspect everything thoroughly. (We chose to be safe and got rid of everything that wasn't already stored properly.)
• Vacuum pantry shelves, cracks, and crevices.
• Wipe shelves with white vinegar.
• Dispose of garbage and vacuum bags outside, away from the home.
• Check regularly for reappearance – it may take awhile to get rid of them completely.
Have you ever dealt with grain weevils? Any stories or tips to share?