Grain weevil

Sitophilus granarius

3.5-5 mm long, brown to black, flightless weevil. The grain weevil primarily attacks the whole grain, into which it drills a hole, lays its egg and seals the hole with a secretion. The larva develops inside the grain and is difficult to recognize from the outside. The grains, which look almost normal on the outside, contain larvae or pupae. Wheat, rye, oats, barley, maize, millet, rice, but also pasta, flour and pulses are affected. However, it does not develop in ground products and soon dies after eating legumes and soybeans. Development from egg to larva and pupa to adult takes place in cereal grains, occasionally also in pasta, pearl barley, etc. The female lays around 200 eggs, with 250,000 offspring per female in 3 generations per year.