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Rice Weevil

Sitophilus oryzae
Local Pest Control
Sitophilus oryzae
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Summary

The rice weevil (Sitophilus oryzae) is a stored product pest which attacks seeds of several crops, including wheat, rice, and maize.

Rice Weevil

Sitophilus oryzae
Local Pest Control

Tags

harmful
garden pest
crop pest
pest

Scientific classification

kingdom: Animalia
phylum: Arthropoda
class: Insecta
order: Coleoptera
family: Curculionidae
genus: Sitophilus

People often ask

Where do rice weevil come from?
What happens if you eat a rice weevil?
What attracts rice weevil?
Can rice weevil fly?
How big does a rice weevil get?
What does rice weevil do to Rice?
What is the scientific name of rice weevil?
What does rice weevil look like?
Where are rice weevil found?
What do rice weevil eat?
How do rice weevil reproduce?
How long do rice weevil live?
How do I know if I have an infestation of rice weevil?
How do I prevent an infestation of rice weevil?
How do I get rid of an infestation of rice weevil?
Are rice weevil harmful to humans?
Do rice weevil have wings?
How do rice weevil move from one location to another?
What is the life cycle of rice weevil?
How many eggs can a female rice weevil lay?
How quickly can rice weevil reproduce?
Are rice weevil attracted to light?
What is the economic impact of rice weevil infestations?
Can rice weevil infest buildings other than grain storage facilities?
How do rice weevil spread from one area to another?
Do rice weevil bite or sting?
How do rice weevil damage stored grain?
Can rice weevil survive in cold temperatures?
How do rice weevil harm the storage facilities?
Can rice weevil reproduce without food?
How do rice weevil affect the nutritional quality of stored grain?
Are there any natural enemies of rice weevil?
Can rice weevil infest processed grain products?
Can rice weevil survive in humid environments?
How long can rice weevil survive without food?
What is the cultural significance of rice weevil?

Description

The adults are usually between 3 and 4.6 mm long, with a long snout. The body color appears to be brown/black, but on close examination, four orange/red spots are arranged in a cross on the wing covers. It is easily confused with the similar looking maize weevil. The maize weevil is typically somewhat larger than the rice weevil, but rice weevils as large as the largest maize weevils and maize weevils nearly as small as the smallest rice weevils have been found. Some external features can be used to differentiate the vast majority of adults, but the only reliable features are on the genitalia (see table below). Both species can hybridize. The genitalic structure of hybrids is unknown.

Description

Biology

Adult rice weevils are able to fly, and can live for up to two years. Females lay 2-6 eggs per day and up to 300 over their lifetime. The female uses strong mandibles to chew a hole into a grain kernel after which she deposits a single egg within the hole, sealing it with secretions from her ovipositor. The larva develops within the grain, hollowing it out while feeding. It then pupates within the grain kernel and emerges 2–4 days after eclosion. Male S. oryzae produce an aggregation pheromone called sitophilure ((4S,5R)-5-Hydroxy-4-methylheptan-3-one) to which males and females are drawn. A synthetic version is available which attracts rice weevils, maize weevils and grain weevils. Females produce a pheromone which attracts only males. Its gammaproteobacterial symbiont Candidatus Sodalis pierantonius str. SOPE is able to supply rice weevil with essential vitamins like pantothenic acid, riboflavin, and biotin. During larvae development, bacteria rely on up-regulation of type three secretion system genes and genes for flagellum so they can infect insect stem cells.

Biology

Control

Control of weevils involves locating and removing all potentially infested food sources. Rice weevils in all stages of development can be killed by freezing infested food below -18 °C (0 °F) for a period of three days, or heating to 60 °C (140 °F) for a period of 15 minutes.

See also

- Granary weevil (Sitophilus granarius) - Maize weevil (Sitophilus zeamais)