How to get rid of weevils

The little bugs you see in the archives aren’t actually dust mites but tiny insects called weevils. This organism is usually attracted to places with high humidity. They love to eat mold and don’t just appear in books. However, there are methods you can use to get rid of this pest, and the key is to control humidity in your home or office.

Table of Contents

Kill weevils

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Determine the infestation status. Before trying to get rid of weevils, you should be certain that there is indeed an infestation. Otherwise, efforts to destroy them may not be effective! You can tell weevils by their shape and where you find them.

Weevils are small insects 1-2 mm in length. The abdomen makes up most of the size of their entire body. ^{[1] X Research Source}
This insect comes in a variety of colors, from transparent to white, from gray to brown.
Indoor weevils do not have wings, but they do have a relatively large mouth.
Weevils feed on mold, so they often live in warm, moist environments, such as in books and paper, under wallpaper, in cupboards, in open cereal and food containers. .

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Remove infested items. One of the simplest ways to get rid of weevils in your home or other places is to throw away anything infested like books, paper, and food.

Throw away all contaminated food you find, such as old cereal boxes, bags of flour or nuts, and other foods that are not tightly covered.
To get rid of one of the things you don’t want to throw away, you can put the item in a resealable plastic bag and put it in the freezer for 1-2 days. Once frozen, take the item out and use a vacuum cleaner to remove the dead mites. ^{[2] X Research Source}

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Kill mold in the house. Weevils love to eat mold, so eliminating their main food source is a very good way to deal with them. In addition, mold is harmful to human health, so killing mold is also good for the whole family.

Fungi often grow in places with moisture such as in food, in bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms, and in paper products.
When you find mold in your home, treat it by scrubbing the moldy area with oxygen bleach, vinegar, or solder. ^{[3] X Research Sources}
There are items like books and paper that cannot be disinfected without being damaged. Throw away mold-infested items that cannot be cleaned.

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Use a dehumidifier. Weeds need moisture to survive, so reducing indoor humidity will help kill them. You can use a dehumidifier, especially in humid places like basements and bathrooms, to turn it on to remove moisture in the environment.

To get rid of termites, you will have to reduce the humidity in your home to less than 50%. Use a hygrometer to measure humidity. ^{[4] X Research Sources}
Remember to empty the water when the water tank in the dehumidifier is full.

Chris Parker

Founder of Parker Eco Pest Contrp

Chris Parker is the founder of Parker Eco Pest Contrp, a sustainable pest control service based in Seattle. He is a Certified Commercial Pesticide Application Specialist in Washington State and received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington in 2012.

Chris Parker
Founder of Parker Eco Pest Contrp

Pro tip : For a less expensive solution, you can place bags or jars of desiccant silica gel beads around the house that come in food cans.

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Remove the water source. There may be a lot of standing water in your home that leads to mold, and getting rid of the standing water will help stop the weevils’ main food source. To clean up and prevent standing water in your home, do:

Fix any leaky pipes in your home ^{[5] X Research Source}
Place a drip tray under houseplants to catch excess water
Wipe dry as soon as water spills
Place the doormat in front of the shower or tub

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Improve ventilation. Another way to remove moisture and prevent mold is to increase indoor ventilation. The best way to do this is to open a window wherever and whenever possible, and open a ceiling or stand fan to circulate the air. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

Ventilation is especially important in places prone to moisture, such as basements, attics, and bathrooms.
Bathrooms need to be equipped with exhaust fans to remove moisture when you open the shower and take a bath.

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Use pesticides as a last resort. Weevils don’t bite people, don’t carry infectious diseases, and don’t actually damage wood, paper or other materials, so pesticides are often unnecessary, especially when you can treat them by reducing humidity. and increase ventilation. However, if the infestation is severe and out of control, you can try an insecticide.

If termites are infested throughout your home, spray everywhere you see them, in all rooms and wet areas, along floors, around windows and door frames, even slots and seams on bookshelves and pantry. ^{[7] X Research Sources}
Pesticides that can be used to kill weevils include Tri-Die Aerosp, diatomaceous earth, Demand CS, and 565 Plus XLO. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

Clean up after killing weevils

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Dust extraction. After removing moisture, mold and increasing ventilation, there will probably be a lot of dead beetles scattered all over the place. To get rid of dead termites, you just need to vacuum the entire house. Be sure to use the nozzle and broom of the vacuum cleaner to reach nooks and crannies in areas that used to be infested with termites. ^{[9] X Research Source}

To deal with bookworms, remove books from shelves to vacuum the covers and pages.
If you don’t have a vacuum, you can clean furniture, bookshelves, and other areas, then sweep the floor thoroughly.

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Sweep out the places that used to have weevils. After removing all the books from the shelf, clean the bookshelf with your usual household cleaner. If there are worms in the kitchen, you should remove all food from the kitchen cabinets and clean the cabinets with an all-purpose cleaner.

Wait for the cabinets, bookshelves, and pantry to dry completely for several hours before putting everything back in place. ^{[10] X Research Source}

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Throw away unnecessary paper products. Paper products can be susceptible to mildew, especially in humid environments. To ensure complete eradication of termite infestations and their potential food source, dispose of any mold-prone items that you do not need and do not use.

Paper products include things like printing and writing paper, letters, old books, newspapers and magazines, and even paper and cardboard boxes. ^{[11] X Research Source}

Prevent weevils

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Store books and boxes properly. To prevent books, paper, and boxes from getting moldy, store them in a dry place. In addition, you should also place these items off the ground whenever possible. ^{[12] X Research Source}

Books need to be placed on shelves instead of piled up on the floor.
If you have a lot of items stored in the cardboard box, you should also put the cardboard boxes on the shelves if possible, or build a platform to put them off the ground.

Steps

Kill weevils

Clean up after killing weevils

Prevent weevils

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