How to Get Rid of Weevils Naturally: 5 Tips!

By proofPest

There’s nothing more disgusting than seeing tiny bugs crawling around in your food!

Weevils are common pantry pests that infest much of your hard-earn groceries. You’ll want to get rid of these pests quickly whenever you have an infestation, and we can help!

Here’s how to get rid of weevils naturally! Keep reading to find the best ways to eliminate these annoying pantry pests!

How Do I Have a Weevil Infestation?

If your home is predominantly pest-free, you may be surprised to see these tiny pests roving through your packaged food goods. 

Because of their frequent presence in many grain-based items, weevils are common problems for grocery and convenience stores. If there’s an infestation at your local market or the manufacturing plant, the weevils could follow you home. 

Once inside, weevils will spread out to other areas for food. While these pests don’t breed quickly, they can still cause significant damage to the items in your pantry, potentially ruining much of your stored food!

Weevils can also infest your home from the outdoors. If you have cracks or crevices around your kitchen or pantry, weevils will head indoors for shelter and access to a consistent food source. 

Here’s a list of food items weevils may infest in your home:

  • Grain products
  • Rice
  • Beans
  • Cereal 
  • Nuts
  • Flour
  • Corn
  • Noodles

 

Once weevils have found the perfect food source, they’ll burrow through the packaging to reach the food inside. Smaller weevil species, like the rice weevil, are so tiny that they can live inside a grain of rice!

Most weevils prefer to inhabit the food they ingest, sifting through the contents until they eventually eat everything inside. Weevils typically lay their eggs inside or around the food products, using their long mouthpiece to bore through any material. 

Take a look at this weevil infestation. Yuck!

While weevils can’t spread any dangerous disease, these pests are still problems for homeowners. Without swift action, weevils could eat you out of your house and home! Thankfully, we have some tips and tricks to help you out!

How to Get Rid of Weevils Naturally

Try these natural remedies to preserve your food whenever you have weevils indoors!

Use Bay Leaves to Repel Weevils

The simplest pest control solution might be in your garden or the grocery store aisle! Bay leaves add a dash of flavor to fragrant soups, rice dishes, and sauces, delivering a light twang to your favorite recipes.

These common ingredients can also lend a hand when looking for an easy natural pest control solution. While traditionally mild, a bay leaf’s scent drives many pantry pests away in droves. 

Take fresh bay leaves and sprinkle them around your countertops or pantry shelves. Place the leaves anywhere you want to prevent weevils from crawling. To keep the leaves secure, you can tape them to your cabinets or place an object over them to ensure they won’t move. 

For extra protection, add them to the foods where weevils frequent. You can drop a few bay leaves into your rice, bean, nut, or noodle packaging to prevent them from making a home in your packaged goods!

Because of its mild flavor and smell, you won’t have to worry about food tasting like bay leaves afterward. Using bay leaves is how to get rid of weevils naturally, and this option is pretty cheap too!

Vinegar is Your Friend!

Vinegar is a favorite household ingredient. It is frequently in kitchens and laundry rooms, from cleansers to cooking. This pungent liquid can also aid you whenever you are trying to prevent pests from sneaking indoors!

In a spray bottle, add half water and half vinegar. Spray the solution onto your pantry shelves, cabinets, and around your kitchen counters. Not only will this clean up any forgotten messes, but it could help keep weevils from heading to your pantry. 

To maximize your efforts and eliminate any weevils roaming around, clean your kitchen with warm soapy water and follow up with a vinegar spray. This should get rid of any pesky pests sticking around. 

Toss Away Affected Food Items

While this method may hurt your wallet, it’s how to get rid of weevils naturally and for good. 

When you have a weevil infestation, removing them without throwing away the food they inhabit is difficult. Because of their small size, you can’t accurately pick them out of infested items. 

Plus, if you don’t eliminate their ranks, the weevils will continue to feast on the items in your pantry. You don’t want an ongoing pest problem, especially when they’re hiding in your food!

To save yourself the headache, throw away anything you’ve found weevils inside and buy fresh groceries after you’ve gotten rid of them for good. 

Save Your Food with Extreme Temperatures

Did you know that you can eliminate many common pests with hot or cold temperatures? Here’s how to get rid of weevils naturally using your oven or freezer!

If you have weevils in your food, you can place the affected items in your freezer for a few days to destroy the pests. Similarly, you can heat your food to near-boiling temperatures to quickly eliminate them in less than an hour!

However, according to the Iowa State University Horticulture and Pest Extension, these methods may not work if you have a considerable amount of food with weevils. Throw away large quantities of food infested with weevils to ensure you flush out the infestation. 

Isolate Other Food

Once you’ve found the source of your weevil infestation, immediately remove other food items from your pantry and inspect them for insects. Placing them in the freezer can help you discern whether weevils are inside and how to get rid of weevils naturally from your food.  

After you’ve separated the other foods, store them away from items that have weevils. For the best protection, put these items in tamper-proof plastic or glass containers. Choose options with tight-fitting lids so no pests can infiltrate your food!

After you’ve eliminated all of the pesky weevils in your pantry, feel free to place everything back in its original location– with new packaging, of course!

Contact proof. Pest Control for Help!

When you have a pest invasion indoors, proof. Pest Control is here to help! We use botanically-derived products for many indoor pest control treatments to keep you and your family safe. In fact, we utilize many of these products in hospitals and schools!

Contact us today to schedule your pest control treatment and rid yourself of annoying pantry pests.

Call proof. pest control at 888-291-5333, or send us a message online.

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