How to get rid of weevils

weevilsalso known as weevils or curculionidsare a whole family of coleopteran insects with more than 86,000 species.

They are from the beetle family, and do not usually measure more than 5 mm in length in their adult state. They have a brown body and their diet is herbivorous, with which they devour plants and wood of all kinds depending on each specific species.

Although they do not attack humans, they are harmful on a material level due to the speed at which they can feed on the wood of furniture and even structures, becoming dangerous in homes with a lot of wood, or houses made entirely of wood. , if his presence goes unnoticed for a long time.

Other types, however, attack only different parts of the plants, but the threat range extends to a large part of the crops, which is why they pose a particularly serious problem for farmers.

Some weevil species what’s up:

• rice weevil (Sitophilus oryzae)
• corn weevil (Sitophilus zeamais)
• wheat weevil (Sitophilus granarius)

If you find these insects anywhere in your home, the first thing you should do is remove them and thoroughly clean the entire area. If they were in an area with food or food that was not properly closed, you should get rid of them because they could have contaminated the food and be a source of infection and disease.

Use insecticide in any area where you have seen them or where you think they may be, whether it is a specialized chemical insecticide or homemade insecticide for weevils that you have made yourself, as we will teach you how to do later.

If you think you have located the food they came from, a very good solution is to freeze the food for at least four full days. In this way, both the larvae and the adults will die from the cold, and you do not risk spreading them again from the garbage or in any other way.

On the other hand, if they are not inside the house but there are weevils on the plants in your garden, eliminating them can be a little more complicated. Weevils tend to feed at night and hide during the day to avoid predators, so you’ll need a flashlight to find them overnight, moment in which you will be able to see them nibbling the edges of the leaves. If the larvae have not yet appeared, removing them by hand like this will suffice. If this is not the case, you will have to resort to insecticides.

So for remove weevils from plants you can use two methods:

• Remove them by hand with tweezers or a similar tool: only recommended if no larvae are seen.
• Eliminate them with insecticide: apply them when the sun does not shine on the plants. Use either a generic or specific commercial pest control or a homemade one.

There are several natural substances that you can use in your fight against the weevil so that you do not have to resort to artificial chemicals.

Bay leaves and neem to eliminate weevils

Bay leaves and neem or neem are a natural substance that is easily acquired and used to ward off this pest. Extract some fresh leaves from the plant or buy these fresh leaves, because dry and without wetting them they do not have the same effect, and place them in the spaces or plants where you have seen them. Keep in mind that you will need to replace the leaves when they have dried out or you can no longer easily distinguish their scent.

Liquid laurel and neem insecticide for weevils

If the area to be covered is large, it will be better to make the insecticide with a liquid base. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Prepare 300 grams of fresh bay or neem leaves, or 200 grams if they are dry, for every 10 liters of water you are going to add.
2. Cut the leaves in half and put them in a container with enough space.
3. Boil a fifth of the water and add it to the container with the leaves.
4. Cover it, and wait for it to cool down, then add the remaining water, this time leaving it only partially covered in a dark and cool place.
5. After about 48 hours, strain the mixture and keep it refrigerated to keep it longer. If you keep it in the refrigerator, it will last up to a month before spoiling.
6. To use it, you just have to spray it on your garden or affected areas, although dilute it in one part of water for each part of laurel or neem macerate. Apply it every three days just before nightfall, until you are sure you have finished with the threat.

In this other EcologíaVerde article you can learn more about how to make natural insecticides for plants. And if you are interested in taking care of your plants in an ecological way, we recommend this other post on How to combat pests in organic farming.

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