Weevils
Overview
A weevil is any beetle from the Curculionoidea superfamily. They are usually small, less than 6 mm (¼ inch), and herbivorous.
Due to the shape of their heads, weevils are commonly known as snout beetles. There are over 60,000 species in several
families, mostly in the family Curculionidae (the true weevils).
Many weevils are damaging to crops. The grain or wheat weevil (Sitophilus granarius) damages stored grain.
The boll weevil (Anthonomus grandis) attacks cotton crops. It lays its eggs inside unripe cotton bolls, and the young weevils eat
their way out.
Weevils are often found in dry foods including nuts and seeds, cereal and grain products. In the domestic setting, they are most
likely to be observed when a bag of grain is opened, although they will happily infest most types of grain including oats, barley
and breakfast cereals.
Their presence is often indicated by the granules of the infested item sticking together in strings, as if caught in a cobweb.
If ingested, E. coli infection and other various diseases can be contracted from weevils, depending on their diet.
Click on the links to the left to find out more on individual UK species.
