- Latin Name: Acanthoscelides obtectus
- Latin Family Name: Chrysomelidae
- Common Name: Bean Weevil
- Other Names: N/A
Origin:
This species may be native to North America, but now is found throughout the world as a pest of stored dry legumes.
Biology:
Both adults and larvae feed exclusively on dried legumes in storage, burrowing through the outer cover and feeding on the inside. There may be many individuals feeding within a single bean and entire lots of the beans may be infested, ultimately leading to dozens of emergence holes that signal the destruction of the stored food.
Identification:
The adult beetle is only about 4 mm long, and a dark gray-brown and covered with very short hairs. Typical of the bean weevils the elytra are short and leave the last few segments of the abdomen exposed from above. The head tends to tuck under the thorax, particularly on dead specimens where it curls downward.
Characteristics Important to Control:
Control of these stored food pests relies on recognizing the likely food products they infest, searching to find the infested materials, and disposing of that source. Good stock rotation will help to prevent the beetles from beginning the infestation. In a home many unusual sources need to be investigated, including decorative items that have dried legumes in them. Insecticides may be needed only to eliminate any remaining adult beetles that are wandering about.
