How to Safely and Effectively Get Weevils Out of My Bedroom

Better known as flour insects, weevils can be an unpleasant surprise to stumble across in your bedroom.

It happens, though, and they mainly live in corn, flour, oats, rice, or anything that has starches in it. So, if you find them in your bedroom, you have to take quick action to get rid of them.

How to Get Rid of Weevils in My Bedroom

Diatomaceous earth can help kill and deter weevils, and all you have to do is sprinkle it around your bedroom carpeting. Allow it to sit for a few days before vacuuming it up. You can also try traps, pesticides, and removing whatever they’re attracted to from your bedroom.

If you’ve found weevils hiding out in your bedroom and you want to know how you can get rid of them, this is for you. We’re going to outline all you need to know about this pest below.

What are Weevils?

Weevils are called flour bugs, and they start their life inside a grain before eating their way out. They come out of the grain as a fully mature adult, and they keep eating any grain around them.

You’ll notice these pests around dry grains like beans, rice, and seeds, so the best way to know if you have a weevil problem is to see if you have any of these food sources in your home.

Weevils are one of over 60,000 species of a small beetle, so the chance of telling exactly which type is in your bedroom is very slim.

Luckily, you don’t have to know the exact species to get rid of them because the extermination processes are all relatively the same.

What Weevils Look Like

Weevils have a reddish-brown coloring to them, and they grow to around the size of a grain of rice.

They’re oval-shaped and slender, and they can get up to 10mm long and take on a black to dark brown coloring. They got the nickname of the flour bug because they mainly eat flour.

Weevils can easily infest whole grains, wheat, oatmeal, and rice, and they can survive very well in virtually any part of your home, including your bedroom.

There are currently only 100,000 types of weevils known, and the rice weevil is one of the most common types that appear in homes.

They can compromise your food supply, but they won’t sting or bite you. The maize weevil and the granary weevil like to get into whole-grain food items in your pantry.

Weevils can kill garden plants outside, and they can be more of a nuisance inside. Weevils may be harmless to yourself and your pets, but they can make your food go bad. Also, who wants to see them crawling around their bed?

How to Remove Weevils from the Bedroom

Now that you know what these pests look like and why they like to hang around, we’re going to list out several steps you can use to help get them out of your bedroom and house below.

Step One – Get Rid of Any Food Sources in the Bedroom

It’s not common for this pest to infest your bedroom, but they live in and lay eggs inside their food sources, so they could have gotten into your bedroom by being inside one of your snacks.

You want to clean your bedroom and remove any weevil food sources you find. Take out any leftover food from your room and thoroughly vacuum the entire area.

What Weevils Are Attracted To

The most likely things to make this pest get into your bedroom and hang around include seeds, beans, rice, maize, and wheat.

They like the food that you’ll typically have sitting in your pantry or cupboard, so you want to limit how much food you bring into your room because they won’t hang around without a viable food source.

Step Two – Check the Kitchen for More Bugs

Even deep cleaning most likely won’t get rid of your weevil issue. Since they most likely came to be in your bedroom due to some packaged food being brought in, you most likely have more of them in your kitchen area. Once you get your room clean, go to the kitchen and start deep cleaning it.

Get rid of any packaged foods that have obvious signs of weevils first by throwing them into the trash, and immediately take the items outside to prevent them from getting out and back into the area.

Wipe down your cabinets and vacuum thoroughly using either a vinegar and water solution, bleach and water solution, or a mix of hot, soapy water. Get up any particles or crumbs, so they have nothing to eat.

Step Three – Get Traps and Pesticides

There are a few items you can get to help you get rid of weevils, including:

Diatomaceous Earth – This can help kill weevils and deter any new infestations by sprinkling it around your kitchen cabinets, counters, bedroom carpet, or anywhere else you’ve spotted them lurking around. Allow it to sit for two to three days before vacuuming it up. It’s safe to use around pets and kids.

Insecticides – An insecticide like D-Force is a good choice if you’ve cleaned the kitchen and still see the bugs. They can kill them for up to eight weeds per application, but you have to follow the instructions closely to ensure you apply them correctly.

Glue Traps – You can consider buying glue traps if you’re not a fan of chemical-based insecticides. You should have them even after you get rid of your weevils because they can tell you pretty quickly when the weevils come back. Place them around your bedroom and kitchen.

Step Four – Deterrents

Now that you managed to successfully get the weevils out of your bedroom, kitchen, and home, you want to take steps to keep them from coming back. To accomplish this, you can:

Air-Tight Containers – Just because you haven’t opened your food yet doesn’t mean that it’s safe from these bugs. They can chew their way into the food to lay eggs through the packaging, so you want to take dry food from the original container and put it in air-tight ones.

Bay Leaves – Bay leaves act as a natural deterrent for this pest, and all you have to do is put a few dry leaves into your bedroom or crush them and sprinkle them around. If you decide to use whole leaves, you’ll want to swap them out every few months.

Freeze and Dry Food – One nice way to make your food last longer while deterring weevils is to dry or freeze or dry the food when you get it. This can help kill off any eggs or larvae that are hiding in the food.

Look at the Groceries – To prevent a second infestation, you want to inspect your groceries when you bring them in before you put them away in your pantry or cabinet.

Bottom Line

Weevils are an annoying but harmless pest that can pop up all over your home.

We’ve outlined several ways that you can get rid of them and prevent a secondary infestation, so you can take what you learned and apply it to your bedroom or home. With a little work, you’ll safely and effectively get rid of the weevils.