Fun Weevil Beetle Facts For Kids
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Weevil beetles (Family curculionidae) are a species that belongs to the family of Scolytidae and are popularly known for having elongated or long snouts. They are usually small in size and weigh very little.
There are almost 97,000 species of weevil beetles. They belong to different families of the species, such as the wheat weevil (Sitophilus granarius), the rice weevil (S. oryzae), and the boll weevil (Anthonomus grandis).
Out of all these species, the rice weevil is considered to be the most destructive one even though it is quite harmless in itself. Weevils are regarded as garden pests who can cause serious damage to crops and grains.
Weevil beetles (Family curculionoidea) are known to infest in the grains and starches such as rice, pasta, cereals. Weevil beetles are attracted to wheat and the stored grains.
Weevil beetles do not carry any disease as they only eat corn, seeds, nuts, grains. After reading the interesting facts about weevil beetle pests, do check out further interesting information on darkling beetle and frilled lizard.
Weevil Beetle Interesting Facts
What type of animal is a weevil beetle?
The weevil beetle is a type of insect and looks gross in appearance. These beetles usually nest their homes in grains where they get their dietary intake.
They are regarded as pests for the damage they can cause to crops and crop products. Out of all the different types of weevils, rice weevil is known to cause the most damage.
What class of animal does a weevil beetle belong to?
Weevil beetles belong to the class of insects. Many weevils are known to cause damage to crops. Usually, a species of weevil feeds on a single type of plant or any closely related alternative. They are often found inside homes as well during summers.
How many weevil beetles are there in the world?
There is no correct number as to how many weevil beetles there are in the world. There are over 97,000 species of adult weevils that are known.
Where does a weevil beetle live?
You can find weevil beetles in grains, fruit trees, or gardens. They are also found on the sides of the homes and move into cracks and gaps that help them lead inside.
What is a weevil beetle's habitat?
The weevil beetle’s habitat is grains, fruits, or gardens. They are also found in houses on the cracked sides of the wall that leads them inside.
Who do weevil beetles live with?
Weevil beetles usually like to live their lives alone without any complex social behavior. They usually prefer to stay alone instead of living together in groups with other species.
How long does a weevil beetle live?
The adult weevil beetles have a very short lifespan of two to three months. The lifespan of a weevil beetle is also dependent on environmental conditions. The availability of the food is also a determining factor in their lifespan.
How do they reproduce?
As the lifespan of the weevil beetles is very short, their mating takes place many times. They lay many eggs in one go.
There are few species of the weevil beetles that lay eggs without even mating. The male and the female weevil beetles mate together, and once the mating is done, the female weevil beetles lay eggs multiple times.
What is their conservation status?
The conservation status of weevil beetles is not extinct as the population of the weevil beetles keeps increasing as there are over 97,000 species of weevil beetles that are known. Therefore, the weevil beetles will not go extinct unless and until they are affected by severe environmental conditions.
Weevil Beetle Fun Facts
What do weevil beetles look like?
Weevil beetles are small types of nettles that are noticeable by their snouts. They are often lightbulb- or pear-shaped. They are the largest order of insects. Some of the weevil beetles cannot fly and are brown or grey and are brightly colored. They have an elongated snout which houses chewing mouthparts. The long snout extends down from the head.
How cute are they?
Weevil beetles look very gross, and people find them disgusting. They are not cute, and people don’t like it as they look very gross and weird. Therefore, weevil beetles are not cute.
How do they communicate?
Most of the weevil beetles communicate with others with the use of chemicals and make sounds with usually scraping their mouthparts together or rubbing their legs on their bodies. They also make certain vibrations.
How big is a weevil beetle?
Weevil beetles are very small in size as compared to other species of weevil beetles. They are about 3-10 mm in size that makes them look small.
How fast can weevil beetles move?
A weevil beetle can move five miles per hour. As they are long-legged predators, and they can sprint the fastest at up to five miles per hour.
How much does a weevil beetle weigh?
Beetles weigh around 0.15-0.22 lb based on their body type. They are usually small in size. The weight of the beetle varies according to the body type and body size.
What are their male and female names of the species?
The male and female name of the species is weevil beetle only. There are no different names of the species.
What would you call a baby weevil beetle?
A baby weevil beetle is called a larva. The larva and the white pupae are similar to those of rice and maize weevil. The larva hatches and feeds on plant tissues while staying safely inside.
What do they eat?
They feed on plants, corn, seeds, rice, wheat, nuts, grains, and other plant-based food products. As compared to larvae and young weevils, adult weevils are usually less specialized in their feeding habits.
Are they harmful?
No, weevil beetles are not harmful to humans and animals. There are few weevil beetles that attack stored grains and seeds but do not bite humans or animals. They are notorious for destroying plants, grains, and various types of food products. Weevils can not cause damage to dry wood and wooden products inside homes.
Would they make a good pet?
Yes, weevil beetles make good pets as they are common as pets. They do not attack or bite human beings, so one can think of having weevil beetles as a pet.
Did you know...
The adult weevil beetles have two sets of wings. The female weevil beetles lay dozens or hundreds of eggs according to their body type. There are different weevil beetles that live for over a year. They cannot see clearly, so they communicate by using pheromones with the use of sound and vibrations.
Beetles vary differently in size based on the species that they belong to. Some of the weevil beetles glow in the dark. The mouthparts of the weevil beetle are usually tiny and eat their food by finding it at the tip of that long beak.
Weevils are categorized based on their diet for example wheat weevil (Sitophilus granarius) feeds on cereals like wheat, rice weevil feeds on rice grains, boll weevil feeds on cotton flowers.
Weevil beetles and humans
Weevil beetles do not bite humans. Weevil beetles usually look for shelter in unfavorable weather conditions, especially during the hot and dry season.
They enter buildings and homes by crawling through cracks and openings. There are different ways in which you can get rid of weevil beetles by placing natural repellents like bay leaves and cloves. Garlic and white vinegar are also known to repel weevil beetles.
Different types of weevil beetle
There are different types of weevil beetles that are known with a minor difference between beetle and weevil. Some of the types of weevil beetles are black weevil beetle, acorn weevil, boll weevil beetle, and others.
The boll weevil is known to cause damage and destroy cotton crops, the acorn weevil beetle is a brown beetle that has a very long and thin snout, and black beetles feed on different ranges of ornamental plants.
The black weevils are found throughout the state of Ohio, and boll beetles are found in Central Mexico. The weevil beetles do not bite or cause any damage to human beings and animals.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other arthropods including bog turtle, or cottonmouth snake.
You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one on our Weevil beetle coloring pages.
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As a highly motivated, detail-oriented, and energetic individual, Olaleye's expertise lies in administrative and management operations. With extensive knowledge as an Editor and Communications Analyst, Olaleye excels in editing, writing, and media relations. Her commitment to upholding professional ethics and driving organizational growth sets her apart. She has a bachelor's degree in English Literature from the University of Benin, Edo State.
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