Mostly known as ‘flour insects’ and they are the most unpleasant thing to be found in someone’s bedroom. But it happens.
They live in flour, corn, rice, oats, etc. that have starches in them. So, whenever you found them in your bedroom, you gotta take immediate measures to get rid of them.
Weevil traps are good measures to get rid of weevils, but there are other measures that you can take. In this article, I will share all these tricks step by step.
And if you follow them right you won’t be wondering yourself how to get rid of weevils in my bedroom! And it’s much easier than getting rid of baby bed bugs.
How To Get Rid Of Weevils In Your Bedroom?
If you just throw out infested foods, that does not guarantee you have got rid of them. When you see them in your bedroom that also indicates they are other areas of your house like in your kitchen and bathroom.
You clean one area leaving other areas untouched won’t solve anything.
So, it has to be a comprehensive measure! Along with your bedroom, you have to clean every other area as well. Here is how you should do it:
- Identify The Source
The weevils are in your bedroom, so they got there somehow. And they have done so using any food source mentioned above. Locate such sources ASAP and take appropriate measures to seal such sources forever.
- Clean Your Bedroom
Not just for weevils, for any other insects’ infestations you should give your bedroom a complete cleaning thoroughly.
Clean everywhere like under your bed, under and behind your wardrobe, and any other places where you can reach easily.
Never allow any food and candy in your bedroom as a preventive measure.
- Clean The Kitchen
This is probably the most infested area in your house. From your kitchen, they spread everywhere and that includes your bedroom.
A thorough cleaning from top to bottom is what you should do right now!
Clean the pantries and cabinet shelves. If there are unsealed foods in the pantry, you have to purge the entire pantry.
Keep all of your foods properly sealed. This will prevent all the cockroaches, ants, and another skin-crawling intersects from your bedroom.
To clean the pantry and cabinet shelves you can use vinegar or eucalyptus oil. When you mix the two, it becomes a deadly mixture for the weevils. Make a 50/50 mixture of the two and use it to wipe down all the shelves in the kitchen.
- Apply Pesticides
You should use pesticides only after you have located the sources and cleaned your bedroom and kitchen. Weevils are not resistant to such pesticides so they will die of it very quickly.
- Use Food-grade DE (Diatomaceous Earth)
It is pretty effective to kill insects like weevils. Clear every food from the pantry and cabinet shelves. Sprinkle food-grade DE there and wait for a day two. Vacuum clean the DE. Don’t worry, food-grade DE is pet safe and child safe.
- Use Weevil Traps
Traps like pheromone traps are pretty effective to attract weevils and destroy them easily. Set up such sticky traps around your pantry and wait for a while. Change such traps once they are full of weevils.
Take Preventive Measures Against Weevils
When you see them crawling on the windowsills and walls, you are already invaded and your nightmare begins! But you have learned the drill and know how to deal with it.
The sad truth about weevils is that they will come back again and again until you become fully vigilant. You or someone from your family will bring food; may even take it to the bedroom and you will get infested again.
You bring groceries and there is a higher chance they are living inside some of such groceries.
So, getting rid of them is just the job half done. You must take preventive measures against such insects to avoid future invasions. Here are some measures you should take:
- Apply Insects Deterrent
Once you got rid of them, you have to take action so that they never come back to your bedroom or anywhere near your home. You don’t have to any chemicals for that; just use bay leaves!
Weevils don’t come close to bay leaves at all. If you are wondering how to get rid of weevils naturally, this is it!
- Buy Smaller Amounts
You need to trade-off between saving money and preventing weevils. Buying groceries and foods may save money and time, but it will increase the chance of the weevil invasion a lot.
If groceries like flour sit idly in the kitchen for a long time, you will have a weevil invasion pretty soon.
This is something you should consider before you go to the grocery store next time. Also, make a habit of checking your groceries for such infestations before you take them into your home.
- Freezing Dry Foods/Flour
You should freeze them immediately as soon as you bring them home. In such cold places like your fridge, they can’t survive but the foods/flours won’t be damaged at all.
I found this technique pretty effective to halt any immediate weevil infestation.
Use airtight containers or freezer bags to store such food in your refrigerator.
- Ditch Your Cardboard Containers
You should switch to airtight containers ASAP for your food storing purpose. Get rid of your cardboard containers since they are no good against such problems.
Weevils can easily chew through such containers and paper bags. Use glass or hard plastic airtight containers instead.
- Regular Inspection
To keep it under control, grow a habit of regular inspection for such infestations. Being vigilant for such a problem will help you keep things under control. Thoroughly check 2 times every month for such weevil infestation.
Organic Ways To Deter Weevils
The truth is it’s so easy for weevils to get access your house. Learning some organic ways to deter them may come in handy.
Yes, there are some natural ways to prevent weevils from your house. But making some sachets with natural weevil’ deterrent works like a charm.
Here is how to do it…
Get a square piece of fabric and place Bay leaves, rosemary, cloves, and black peppercorns inside. Create a sachet pulling all the 4 corners to the center and use a string to secure it.
Make several number of such sachets and place them on all the self of your food pantry. The fragrance will keep the weevils away. Replace them when such sachets lose their fragrances.
How Do Weevils Get Into Your House?
Identifying the cause of having weevils in your house is crucial. Otherwise, you are risking it of having weevil re-infestation again and again.
So, how do they get into your house in the first place?
Well, weevils feed on carbs and they love to munch on starches. Did you notice your house is full of carbs?
Apart from rice and flour, every household has barley, oats, corn, etc. and all of them contain starches. And weevils don’t carry such foods around. Instead, they live inside their foods and make it a breeding ground.
The female weevils lay their eggs inside the food grains creating holes and seal it once done. The larvae hatch and spend their pupal stages inside the grain.
Once mature, they eat their way out and keep destroying foods. This reproduction system keeps going on.
So, do weevils fly into your pantry to infest your home? No! Pests like weevils gets inside your home via packaged foods and bulk products.
Apart from few exceptions, you bring weevils from your local store. That’s how they get access to your panty most of the time.
Once they get the access, they hide themselves until they can get inside the food grain.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Yep, and in fact, this is very easy for them to infest anyone’s house when they don’t bring food packages in airtight containers. They will infest every room of your house wherever they find any food sources.
When you don’t bring foods in airtight containers from the store, there will be a weevil infestation in your house. Besides, they may come from your garden if there are any fruit trees.
It’s an extensive process that starts from eliminating the grain weevils, throwing out all the infested foods carefully, wiping pantry shelves with white vinegar, and regularly checking for their re-appearance.
Yes. Not just that, after throwing it out, check your cupboard for a major weevil outbreak.
The lifecycle of weevil depends on the weather. During the summer, they can last around 30 to 40 days. But during winter, they can last as long as 7 to 8 months!
Conclusion
As you have seen, getting rid of weevils from your bedroom is easy but preventing it takes hard work from your end. Never let your kids or partner have food in your bedroom.
Keep no foods anywhere in your bedroom as well to have late-night snacks. Only being vigilant can keep you protected against such insects years after years. Now watch the long but helpful video on preventing weevils!
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