One of the best known pests that can attack agricultural crops is the weevil. It is a fairly small insect called a weevil. Usually lives and breeds in areas where food is present in the form of grains. Therefore, it seriously affects corn, rice and oat crops. It makes very annoying pests and you have to know how to treat them properly. There are many people who want to learn to remove weevils.
For this reason, we are going to dedicate this article to telling you what the best tips and tricks are to eliminate weevils.
Insect Characteristics
The insect has become a very damaging pest in numerous agroecosystems where cereal plantations such as corn, rice and oats are grown. This is because it reproduces very quickly and completely destroys the plantation. Since it is multiplying so fast, you have to act fast or we will let it destroy all the crops.
are currently known about 86.100 different species of weevils. All these varieties are from the Cucurbitaceae family. These are small beetles from Asia. Their main food is vegetables. Although it is considered a pest in most of the world, they have very interesting medicinal properties. They can treat certain diseases, such as diabetes, asthma, stimulate the immune system, and play an important role in some cancer treatments.
Its body is very small, only 1,5 to 35 mm. Throughout the life cycle, the body goes through a series of changes that can be divided into four stages: egg, larva, eruption, and adult. Weevils have light-colored, oval-shaped eggs. They are rounder at one end of the egg and flatter at the other.
How to remove weevils
If you find these insects anywhere in your house, the first thing you should do is remove them and thoroughly clean the entire area. If they are in an area with food or food that are not sealed properly, you should throw them away, as they can contaminate food and be a source of infection and disease.
Use insecticide in any area where you see them or think they might be there, whether it’s a specialized chemical or a homemade insecticide you make for the weevil.
If you think you have found its origin, a good solution is to freeze the food for at least four days. This way, both the larvae and the adults freeze to death, and you don’t run the risk of spreading them out of the litter again or otherwise.
On the other hand, if they are not in the house but you have weevils on the plants in your garden, removing them can be a bit more complicated. Weevils tend to feed at night and avoid predators during the day, so to find them, you will need to use a flashlight at night when you see them gnawing on the edges of leaves. If the larvae have not come out, it is enough to remove them by hand like this. If not, you will have to resort to pesticides.
So, to get rid of the weevil on plants, you can use two methods:
- Remove them by hand with tweezers or similar tools: only recommended if no larvae are seen.
- Eliminate them with pesticides: Use them when the sun does not hit the plants. Use a generic or specific commercial or homemade pest control.
Homemade insecticide
There are several natural substances you can use to combat weevils so you don’t have to resort to man-made chemicals.
Bay leaf and neem eliminate weevils
Bay leaves and neem or neem are natural substances that are readily available and are used to ward off this pest. Grab some fresh leaves from the plant or buy fresh as drying rather than wetting doesn’t have the same effect and place them in the space or plant where you see them. Remember that you will need to replace the leaves when they dry out or you will no longer be able to easily distinguish their odors.
Bay leaf and neem liquid insecticide for weevils
If the area to be covered is large, it is best to make the insecticide with a liquid base. To do this, follow these steps:
- For every 10 liters of water added, prepare 300 grams of fresh bay or neem leavesor 200 grams if they are dry.
- Cut the leaves in half and place them in a container with plenty of room.
- Boil a fifth of the water and add it to the container along with the leaves.
- Cover and wait for it to cool down, then add the remaining water, this time only partially covering in a cool, dark place.
- After about 48 hours, strain the mixture and rub for more time. If you keep it in the fridge, it will last a month before going bad.
- To use it, simply spray it on the garden or the affected area, although diluting it in one part of water for each part of the laurel or neem bath. Apply every three days before nightfall until you are sure you have completed the threat.
Prevention
There are some ways to prevent weevils in our home. We have to check everything very well and follow the following steps:
- The first thing to do when you encounter a weevil is to do a thorough inspection of your pantry for all affected foods. Check each package carefully and discard any packages that have weevils.
- Weevils often sneak into packages of rice, seeds, grains, dried beans, grains, corn, and flour, so check them thoroughly.
- Once you’ve located and discarded all of the weevil-contaminated packages, empty out the pantry with everything you need and see if there’s anything on the shelf or hiding in the corner.
- Clean thoroughly with soap or a product that you usually use to clean your pantry. Vacuuming first is more effective because it removes all of the weevil quickly. If you vacuum, at the end you have to change the bag to throw away the contaminated bag.
- Put everything back and check from time to time to avoid new infestations.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about how to eliminate weevils.
