Hello! Somehow, talking with a friend over a cup of coffee, I happened to hear a rather entertaining story.
Further from the words of a friend: in the spring the whole family moved to a new apartment, inherited from the parents. And at first everything went fine, and no particularly significant defects were noticed.
But I get up one morning, I want to cook my son porridge. Suspecting nothing, I pour a mixture into a plate, and then I notice some small bugs in it.
Without hesitation, she decided to simply throw away the entire package of porridge, thinking that insects are only in it. After that, with a sense of accomplishment, she returned to ordinary affairs.
But it was not there. A few days later I wanted to cook pancakes, I took the flour, and they there, it turns out, they built a house for themselves! Then vague doubts began to torment me, and I decided to check all the stocks for bugs.
As it turned out, they were in almost all packages of cereals. Of course, I was not going to sit back, and began an active fight against pests. And fortunately, soon they were gone completely.
Want to learn how to get rid of weevils in the kitchen? Where do they come from, where are they hiding and how to avoid their appearance? Then read the article further.
The content of the article:
Who are weevils
The insect comes from a family of beetles, where there are more than 40 thousand different specimens. Barn weevils live in apartments together with people - beetles up to 5 millimeters long with a dark brown back with defective wings.
A female can lay up to 200 eggs at a time, each of which it allocates its mink in grains, and its entrance is closed with specific secretions remaining after laying eggs.
On day 12, a larva hatches from an egg, developing inside a grain and destroying it from the inside. A chrysalis also appears here. Then the grown bug damages the grain and gets out.
This all suggests that the process of "growing" of the insect is hidden from the human eye - we see only an adult insect. This is one of the main difficulties encountered in the fight against weevils.
The beetle prefers to eat wheat, barley, rice, corn and buckwheat. It can also live in pasta and old flour.
If you find weevil in the croup, then it is impossible. It is worth immediately throwing it away and thinking about how to get rid of pests.
Varieties of Pest Bugs
Most weevils are small beetles that differ in body color and shape. In the kitchen, the hostess can meet any of the elephants presented.
- Barn. One of the malicious pests living in grain depots.
- Beetle 2.1-4.0 mm long, brown in color. It does not know how to fly, but this does not prevent the insect from infecting grain depots in a short time, from where weevils enter the kitchen. Gives 3-4 generations per year. Adults live up to two years. This is the most gluttonous beetle of weevils.Likes to eat cereals and flour products.
- Rice. A no less dangerous kitchen neighbor is similar to a barn colleague, but not mature enough - 2.0–3.2 mm long. This beetle can fly. For the development of larvae, he selects cereal grains (wheat, rye, barley), as well as rice, peas, and corn.
Adults do not disdain flour, crackers, cookies, pasta. The beetle lives 240 days and gives 2-3 generations.
- Walnut. A dark-colored beetle with an oblong head, ending with a proboscis and antennae. The length of the weevil is up to 0.7 cm. White larvae are distinguished by a brown head and lack of legs. Prefers to live in places of storage of hazel and walnut.
The pest is dangerous because it probes through holes in the still unripe hazel nut with the help of a proboscis. Then, it lays eggs inside the fetus, from which larvae appear that winter there until spring. The pest spreads through migration. This is facilitated by high temperature and high humidity.
In nature, there are also such types:
- ordinary beetroot harms beets;
- raspberry weevil is found on raspberries, blackberries, strawberries and strawberries. The raspberry-strawberry Cuckold inflicts maximum damage by destroying flower buds. This leads to the loss of up to 90% of the strawberries and, less commonly, raspberries - up to half of all berries.
Raspberry weevil is found everywhere where raspberries with strawberries are grown. How to deal with the weevil of this species, is written below. Barn mowing harms the groats in the apartment.
- a nodule beetle drains peas, beans and harms other legumes. A nodule cutter is a 4–5 mm long gray beetle wintering in the soil under the plant debris of legumes. It comes out in early spring and causes great damage to the seedlings of peas, eating cotyledons and destroying the apical growth point. palm mowing exterminates palm leaves.
- Palm mowing (Latin Rhynchophorus ferrugineus) destroys date palms, like locust crops. The palm beetle reaches 2.5 cm. Its elongated rostrum is clearly visible, according to which it got its name. Life expectancy does not exceed four months. Each female of such a pest produces 350 eggs about three to four times a year.
- Acornic weevil, like groats, is common in oak forests.
- beet - an insect from the family of weevils (see), or a detachment of elephants (Curculionidae), black, covered with grayish-brown scales and thin hairs up to 13 mm.
Beetroot weevil is widespread in many areas of southern Russia, causing severe harm to beets by eating its young shoots and tops; its larvae are also eaten by beet roots. Beetroot mowing appears in early spring and attacks on beetroot seedlings, then lay eggs in the ground.
Differences in species of insects can be seen by looking for photos on the Internet. Beet weevil, raspberry-strawberry, nodule, acorn and barn elephant are widespread in Russia. The biggest damage to agriculture is caused by beet and nodule elephants.
Features of the life of beetles
Weevils (elephants) are representatives of the beetle family, which has more than 50,000 species. The barn weevils mainly settle in the apartment. The body length of the beetle is about 4 mm; the color is dark brown. The wings are underdeveloped, so the insect does not fly.
They develop in a grain and during this time they gnaw it inside. Then the larvae turn into pupae. When a beetle emerges from the pupae, it gnaws a grain and crawls out into the light.
Most barn weevils love barley, wheat, rice, rye, flour and pasta. These pests are thermophilic. At temperatures below +5 degrees, weevils fall into a stupor.And if the temperature is lower - 5 ° C, then the beetles and larvae die after some time. If the room is warm, then the female can lead 2-3 generations of beetles per year.
The most common reason for weevils to appear is to bring them home with cereals or flour purchased at a store or market. These products become infected by insect larvae even in warehouses due to unsanitary storage conditions or improper packaging.
Propagation and distribution of weevils
In order to lay her eggs, the female beetle gnaws a hole in the grain: a day she can do this manipulation 300-500 times - she puts her eggs in it. Further, after masonry, she releases a special substance with which she covers holes in grains.
A fetal egg inside a grain develops within a week, and then becomes a larva, which is still enclosed within a grain. It is also able to grind grain from the inside, forming as much space as possible. It takes another 5-7 days.
Weevils have very sharp teeth. They can break packaging bags with them to get to their contents.
Weevils feel great at a temperature of 18-25 degrees, while humidity does not matter for them, since they spend a long period of their life under a dense shell of grain. But these insects need an influx of oxygen, since its absence can harm the whole generation.
A female weevil can produce as many as three generations of bugs per year. With a decrease in temperature, weevils are able to fall into suspended animation and get out of it during its normalization. The life expectancy of a barn weevil is approximately 250 days.
These insects like to be planted in grain, and it doesn’t matter: it is barley, rye or wheat. They can be found in rice, corn and corn grits, as well as bread crumbs. In buckwheat, they rarely settle and only when all other reserves are eaten.
Weevils can also be found in old flour and pasta. If you find cereal pests, then be aware - the use of these products is prohibited. To avoid contamination of all your stocks, immediately review all packages and jars for bugs and their larvae, and use the methods of dealing with them described below.
Where do weevils come from in apartments and why should they be brought out
One of the ways weevils get into the house are products that we bring from markets and shops. Typically, the infection of cereals with this type of parasite occurs in warehouses and in barns, the owners of which do not take preventive measures to destroy pests.
Prepackaged products containing weevil eggs are successfully sold in retail chains. In this case, you will not notice insects in packages that hatch in your apartment after the purchase of cereals. And the first traces of grain damage will be noticeable only after the development of mature individuals.
However, the danger of these insects to humans is not only the possibility of spoilage of food. Weevils carry spores of fungal infections that are very dangerous for humans, as well as many pathogenic bacteria.
Their droppings can cause severe allergic reactions, leading to a serious deterioration in health. For this reason, when you first detect pests in your apartment, it is recommended that you urgently take measures to destroy them, preventing the possibility of the multiplication and spread of diseases.
Adult barn weevils have sharp and strong teeth. They are able to easily gnaw any bags of cereals, and settle in them. After this, pure cereal becomes unsuitable for cooking.
How to deal with these pests? After all, if they settle in the house, then this can stretch for a very long period. There are several simple, but quite effective methods for this, including a folk remedy for weevil.
Methods for dealing with barn weevils
If you find that weevils have appeared in your cereals, then you must definitely check all the loose products that you have: coffee, cocoa, tea, spices, etc. What is infected must be thrown out immediately, because the discharge of these bugs can be dangerous to your health.
Even just bought cereals and pasta must be isolated there. After a few days have passed, the products should be removed and poured into sealed containers.
In addition, a very well-known folk remedy for weevil may come up: several cloves of fresh garlic should be put in flour and cereals. It is very important that it is well cleaned. Even after a long time, garlic will emit a smell. If you cut it, then it will give its smell to cereals, and, after a while, will rot.
It should be noted that bay leaves and lavender flowers, laid out on shelves, also help a lot from pests. Another good tool is washing powder, which can be poured into small jars and put in a cupboard with cereals.
And advice for the future: buy dry foods (cereals, flour, etc.) as needed. Do not make large stocks. The fight against weevil will not last long if you try to adhere to these simple rules.
Weevils, like all living organisms, die in critical heat. Therefore, in the fight against the pest, you can use heat. To do this, uninfected cereals must be heated in the oven or fry in a dry pan. Cereals (especially if you purchase them in large quantities or by weight) are heated.
According to the researchers, weevils can be destroyed in a day or two by raising the storage temperature to 40 degrees, and if you raise it to 50 degrees, then weevils will die in 6-8 hours. However, this method is categorically not suitable for flour, since it is explosive and can ignite at high temperatures.
Processed products must be stored in glass, plastic, metal or wooden containers, which the barn weevil is unable to bite.
In addition, lay the lavender flowers and bay leaves on the shelves. Another good way is to put some small jars of washing powder.
Buy dry foods (flour, cereals, etc.) as needed. Do not make large stocks. The fight against weevil will not last long if you follow simple rules.
Folk remedies: what rice elephants are afraid of
To prevent the appearance and reproduction of weevils in your apartment, it is enough to use a few simple folk methods that are completely safe for people and pets.
- Bringing cereal packages you just bought home, put them in the freezer for 3 hours. This will kill the larvae and eggs of the bugs without harming the food itself.
- Effectively affects beetles and heat treatment. Pour the contents of the bags onto a baking sheet, then place it in the oven, setting the temperature to 50 ° C.
This procedure should not last more than 20 minutes, since with a longer heat treatment, the nutrients contained in bulk products will undergo destruction.
- You can also use a microwave to destroy eggs and larvae of weevils. The purchased cereal should be poured with a thin layer into a container of a suitable size, after which the processing time should be set to 2-3 minutes. After the procedure is completed, it is advisable to properly wash the grain and dry it for further storage.
- Before sending bulk products for storage in a cabinet, properly treat its shelves with soapy water. And then wipe them with a weak vinegar solution. This will scare away pests from containers containing their favorite treats.
- As a deterrent, you can also use lavender twigs or essential lavender oil, orange peels, bay leaves, clove seeds, garlic, tansy, chestnut fruits, mint or mint chewing gums, which should be laid out on shelves in the closet, not forgetting to change these natural repellers 1 time per month.
- In containers with bulk products, you can also put peeled garlic, peeled, but not chopped. A garlic aroma that can hold out in a tightly closed jar for a very long time will scare away a gluttonous insect. You can use bay leaf in the same way.
- If the weevil has chosen stocks of peas, it is recommended to pour a little dry red pepper in containers with this product.
- To prevent weevils from wound up in the containers themselves, containing flour, cereals and pasta, you can use the following method. Take steel nails, wire or tin covers.
Wash them, boil and dry. Put any of these items in food containers. Nails laid in jars with bulk products will protect them from the invasion of the weevil.
- Salt-treated fabric bags are great for storing flour. Take a suitable container, and dilute in it a saturated saline solution, using ordinary salt and water.
To determine the required concentration of the solution, dip a raw egg into it. If the solution is strong enough, the egg will float on the surface. Dip a cloth bag in the resulting solution and let the fabric soak. Remove the bag from the solution and allow it to dry.
- A cloth bag treated with salt will reliably protect the flour from weevils. The flour stored in such bags will be reliably protected from pests.
Is chemical processing acceptable in the kitchen
Since the weevil prefers to settle in food, chemical treatment by industrial means at home is excluded. Such procedures are carried out only within the framework of storage facilities and involve the use of drugs whose main component is phosphorous hydrogen.
Processing by these means is carried out using fumigation. In addition, the enterprises also use methods of aerosol and wet disinfection of premises and gas disinfection.
Pest control of grain during storage
Vital activity of barn pests significantly depends on temperature, humidity of grain and air.For example, a temperature of 20 ... 28 ° C and a relative humidity of 75-90% are favorable for the collar weevil. At a temperature of 5 ... 10 ° C, the beetles stop feeding, for 3 ° C they fall into a stupor, for 0 ° C and lower they die.
Measures include preparing granaries and operations that perform with grain: cleaning, drying, cooling, venting, moving. Destructive - biological, physico-mechanical and chemical methods.
Measures can start from the field: the use of chemical treatment of crops, which destroys and limits the number of grain pests. They continue at the stage of preparing granaries for storing grain mass. Granaries with a small filling, it is desirable to completely empty and clean.
When cleaning granaries, especially of a warehouse type, special attention should be paid to inaccessible places where pests initially develop: upper and lower galleries, pit elevators, block pits, ventilation ducts. The adjacent territory and equipment for processing and moving grain are also subject to cleaning.
In the case of colonization of grain with small pests, they are removed on sieves with oblong cells: 1.5-1.8 mm for wheat, 1.4-1.7 for rye, 2.0-2.2 mm for barley. Large insects are removed on sieves with holes that are selected for each specific case.
Some pests, such as weevils, can be removed using suction separators or channels. In general, any movement of the mass of grain negatively affects the condition of granary pests, restricts their development and abundance.
However, work on cleaning and moving the grain mass in order to control pests should be performed in the cold season to prevent their migration.
In the case of long-term storage, it is better to reduce humidity by 2-4% compared to norms - this significantly increases the grain's resistance to damage by pests, and limits their vital activity.
One of the effective measures to combat barn pests is the cooling of grain. It can be used both prophylactically and to suppress the vital activity of most pests.
To do this, it is enough to bring the temperature of the grain mass to 8 ... 10 ° C. At a temperature of 5 ... 6 ° C, the shelf life of storage increases threefold. Cooling is performed in cold, dry weather by ventilation or active ventilation.
During the cooling process, the equilibrium moisture content of the grain must be controlled: if it is lower than its actual moisture content, cooling can be performed, otherwise the grain will be moistened due to sorption.
More effective and reliable is the cooling with the help of refrigerators, but it requires additional tools and special devices. Therefore, this measure is primarily recommended for crops that are especially unstable during storage, quickly damaged by pests, and are affected by diseases: corn, grains and oilseeds.
As an extreme measure for controlling pests of grain stocks, their thermal disinfection at the maximum permissible temperatures is used. To select the temperature regimes and the duration of disinfection, you should use a special table that takes into account the type of pest and its thermal stability. Seed grain is not recommended to be decontaminated as it is possible to reduce its similarity.
Grain disinfection
The chemical disinsection of grain: aerosol, gas (fumigation) continues to remain a radical destructive measure to combat pests of grain stocks. Chemical treatment is carried out according to special instructions and is carried out by organizations that have official permission.
Fumigation is especially strictly controlled: it is forbidden to use it for batches of grain intended for shipment and concentration at port elevators. Aerosol disinfection of pest control is effective for processing free storage facilities and surrounding areas.
The processing of lots of grain is carried out with the same preparations during loading into the granary. The consumption rate of the drug, for example, Actellik, is 16 mg / t for food-feed grain and seeds. Fastak is recommended only for seed treatment (with the same norm).
The advantage of aerosol treatment is the high effect of the drug even in unpressurized storages, its drawback is a rather long period of time until the permitted sale of grain.
It is reliably known that after several months the residual preparations do not exceed the maximum permitted level (MDL) and reliable grain protection is achieved when using the preparations in recommended doses.
Gas disinfection (fumigation)
Of chemical measures, gas fumigation is the most effective. For its implementation, such fumigants are used:
- ethyl bromide gas;
- tablets based on aluminum phosphide (Alfos, Foscom, Fostoxin);
- tablets based on magnesium phosphide (Degesh Plates, Magtoxin).
Before fumigation, it is necessary to carefully seal the room, and fumigation should be carried out with the involvement of only special units that have permission and appropriate equipment. Decontamination is a relatively short period - up to 10 days from the start of treatment.
Ethyl bromide is fed into the composition or directly into the grain mass from cylinders in the calculation of 20-100 g / m3 (one-time processing). However, it should be noted that the use of bromomethyl recently (since 2005) is severely limited due to the negative impact on atmospheric ozone. It is also necessary for the time of fumigation with this gas and degassing to free the room from people.
The active substance (aluminum or magnesium phosphide) introduced into the grain mass or decomposed in the preparation indoors reacts with moisture, thereby emitting phosphorous hydrogen, which is toxic to pests. But the neutral substance remains in the grain - aluminum or magnesium hydroxide - and the phosphide residue is partially decomposed.
The duration of fumigation depends on temperature: at 5 ... 10 ° C - ten days; for 21 ... 25 ° C - five days. Degassing is at least ten days. The sale of grain is allowed in the case of a phosphide residue not higher than the permissible level (MDU).
Neutral substances in the form of a gray powder are removed from the grain by separation or aspiration.Phosphine fumigation regimen (dosage and exposure time), depending on the type of pests and temperature, must be filled ‘fill.
To control phosphine, indicator tubes of various manufacturers and gas analyzers are used. In Russia and Ukraine, indicator tubes are mainly used, since the cost of gas analyzers is quite high.
However, indicator tubes have a noticeably large error and lead to poor-quality disinfection of products, therefore, preference should be given to a modern gas analyzer.
The feasibility of fumigation should be determined based on the degree of pest damage and the economic efficiency of the work planned. On the basis of the indicator of the total density of infection with insects and ticks, grain lots are classified according to the five steps introduced into regulatory documents.
Depending on the degree, determine the feasibility of fumigation and the target direction of use of grain. It is estimated that the cost of fumigation of grain is relatively small and equal to the cost of 3-5 kg of grain per ton.
Inspection interval for contaminated grain Efficiency and timeliness of all methods of controlling pests of grain stocks largely depends on monitoring the level of infection. The inspection interval is set based on the temperature and humidity of the grain, its purpose.
For storage of seeds in bags, a pest check is performed once every 30 days in the winter and every 15 days in the summer. An infection test is carried out according to regulatory methods and standards.
In addition to harmful insects and ticks, significant damage during the storage of grain is caused by rodents that breed and harm in the warehouse, regardless of weather conditions. To combat them, the use of poisonous baits based on zinc phosphide (RODENFOS), brodifacum, flocumafen (Storm) and others is effective.
Charms are laid out at a distance of 2-15 m from each other in places where rodents accumulate. Thus, the integrated application of all protection methods, taking into account the species composition of pests, the characteristics of their biology, the number and degree of damage, the systematic prediction of development and the control of harmfulness will provide reliable protection of grain during its storage.
General pest management guidelines
When the fight against insects takes place in the kitchen, the hostess's hands are literally tied. Using strong insecticides is dangerous, because you can do more harm than help, and home methods help, but not so quickly, and sometimes only allow a temporary effect.
All that can be advised is to stock up on reinforced concrete will and control the situation with insects in the kitchen every day: to clean, hide food, wipe tables, sweep crumbs, sift cereals. All these standard recommendations take on individual traits when it is clear who it is necessary to fight with.
But there is a second option for eliminating pests - professional disinfection of the kitchen. Pest control is an action to eliminate insects; chemical preparations are used to kill them.
But unlike self-treatment with available chemicals from bugs, moths, cockroaches and others, you are significantly less at risk of your family’s health. For the disinfestation of residential premises (and especially the kitchen), only the most safe preparations are used.
How to save home plants from weevil
In addition to food, weevils can also feed on a variety of indoor plants. Bugs eagerly eat buds of decorative roses, hydrangea and cyclamen.
Weevil on a houseplant. If you want to protect your favorite flowers from these insects that are in the apartment, you can use this folk remedy:
- Take 100 g of mustard powder and dilute it in 3 liters of water.
- Add 40 g of laundry soap or ash to the solution.
The trained composition must be treated indoor plants several times.
Rating of the best chemicals, according to user reviews
In this case, you can also use industrial chemicals. The most effective of them, according to Internet users, are:
- Inta-Vir is an effective enteric-contact insecticide that can cope with various types of indoor flower pests. The main active ingredient of this drug is cypermethrin.
To spray two window sills of indoor plants, it is enough to use 1 part of the tablet, divided into 8 parts, diluted in 1 liter of water. The drug is not recommended for use in the presence of an aquarium in the apartment. The drug belongs to the 2nd – 3rd hazard class.
- "Karbofos" - a universal insecticide and acaricide, designed to combat various types of harmful insects, belonging to the 3rd hazard class.
- Nemabakt is an environmentally friendly drug designed to control insects. Absolutely safe for humans and pets (4th hazard class).
- “Anthem-F” is an environmentally friendly biological product created on the basis of entomopathogenic nematodes (4th hazard class).
- "Fufanon" is a moderately hazardous substance designed to control insect pests, belonging to the 3rd hazard class. Danger to water inhabitants.
Prevention: so that bugs do not appear in the house
To prevent the re-emergence of weevils in the apartment, special attention must be paid to the storage conditions of food products.
- Cabinets designed to store cereals, flour and pasta should always be kept clean.
- Do not store cereals in plastic and paper bags. The best option for them would be tight-fitting glass or tin cans, as well as plastic containers intended for food.
- Before each use of the container, it is necessary to thoroughly wash it with detergents, or wipe it with a weak vinegar solution, and then dry thoroughly.
- To maintain an optimal level of humidity in the container, you can put a small cloth bag with salt on its bottom.
- You should not purchase and procure too many products. Enough to stock up, which you can use for 2-4 months.
- When buying products, pay attention to the date of their production and packaging.
- To prevent the appearance of weevils in flour, you can put several nutmegs in it.
- Garlic, bay leaf, and citrus peels will provide preservation to cereals.
Using these simple and effective methods that are completely safe for people and pets, you can deal with the weevils that suddenly appeared in your apartment. Timely destruction of these insects will prevent the possibility of their rapid reproduction and spoilage of food and domestic plants.
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