Coffee Bean Weevil (2024)

FAQs

Coffee Bean Weevil? ›

Background: Araecerus fasciculatus is a small dome-shaped, dark brown beetle that is commonly known as coffee bean weevil (CBW). It is found in tropical and subtropical coastal countries where it is considered as a major pest of coffee beans, corn, cocoa, nutmeg and the seeds of leguminous plants⁴.

Weevils are not harmful to humans, pets, houses, furniture, or clothing and don't carry any diseases. They are temporary nuisance pests that damage stored food products. If weevils infest a garden or field, they can damage plants and reduce crop yields.

The coffee bean weevil (Araecerus fasciculatus) is an important pest. Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "fungus weevil".

Bean weevils entered your home inside dried bean packages. Infested in warehouses or on grocery store shelves, small holes or tears in packaging can cause homeowners to unknowingly bring bean beetles into their homes.

The truth is, weevils are NOT harmful to humans. Accidentally eating them along with your food does not cause any ill effects. What could happen is that they can simply add a different crunch to your food when eaten, something unpalatable even? Food would also not look appealing at all with some weevils as garnishing.

Q: DO WEEVILS BITE HUMANS? A: No. Weevils feed exclusively on grains, seeds, nuts, roots and even some fruits. Unlike fleas or ticks, they do not have a parasitic relationship to either human beings or common household pets.

Per Alan Munn, Quora, and Iowa State, grain weevils are medically harmless and carry no human diseases. That said, most people find the thought of eating weevil larvae in their beans disgusting, and beans are pretty cheap to replace. So unless you're on a ship or a camping trip, just throw them out and start over.

To maximize your efforts and eliminate any weevils roaming around, clean your kitchen with warm soapy water and follow up with a vinegar spray. This should get rid of any pesky pests sticking around. While this method may hurt your wallet, it's how to get rid of weevils naturally and for good.

On average, adult weevils have a lifespan of two to three months, during which they mate and lay eggs multiple times. There are also a few species of weevils that are parthenogenetic, which means they can produce eggs without mating.

Description. Araecerus fasciculatus can reach a length of about 3–5 millimeters. These small weevils are dome shaped, with dark-brown, and mottled with light and dark- drown pubescence.

Do weevils like coffee beans? ›

The larvae live and feed inside the coffee beans which causes them to turn rotten. The coffee bean weevil does significant damage above 28°C but it cannot complete its development from egg to adult at temperatures below 22 °C¹.

The bean weevils or seed beetles are a subfamily (Bruchinae) of beetles, now placed in the family Chrysomelidae, though they have historically been treated as a separate family. They are granivores, and typically infest various kinds of seeds or beans, living most of their lives inside a single seed.

Wipe the shelves with hot soapy water or a disinfecting spray then wipe again with white vinegar, which is known to kill weevils. Clean any unaffected items such as cans or containers before returning them to the pantry.

When weevils are found indoors, physically remove them with a vacuum or broom and dust pan. Pesticides are not effective or necessary. These weevils are harmless and temporary and will go away on their own. Their numbers can vary from year to year.

Pantry pests are most likely to infest products that have been opened but they also can get into unopened paper, thin cardboard, and plastic, foil or cellophane-wrapped packages. They may chew their way into packages or crawl in through folds and seams.

Usually people first notice an infestation when they see moths flying around the pantry or black weevils in stored food. Some weevil species even fly. This calls for immediate and thorough action – but they won't harm you.

Outdoors, weevils can kill garden plants. Indoors, the pests are more of a nuisance than a danger. Weevils contaminate infested food with their feces and cast skins, causing more damage than they eat. So, an infestation may render entire packages or pantries of food inedible.

Neither weevils or flour mites bite, sting or poison, so aren't dangerous to touch. But what happens if you eat flour mites or weevils – are they harmful? If you eat flour with weevils they are unlikely to harm you, so don't be too concerned if you've used the contaminated product beforehand.