Cowpea Weevil

Cowpea weevils or Callosobruchus belong to leaf beetles insects, they live all over the world, their life cycle is similar to bean weevils life cycle, in   good conditions and high temperatures (90 Fahrenheit) with a high humidity, they grows very fast in large numbers, therefore homeowners discover the infestation and they notice cowpea weevils flying around the home, they also discover shelves and bags that has infestation, females search for fresh cowpeas to lay their eggs, when cowpea weevil feels threaten, they play dead for five minutes, and return to moving.

Cowpea weevils’ identification

cowpea weevils are about one sixth inch, they have a brown or greenish brown color, they have black spots on the abdomen area, larvae are white in color and they have a C-shaped body with small heads.

cowpea weevils’ life cycle

 cowpea weevils become active in spring, they live between flowers in the open air, female lay eggs on stored cowpea surface, when larvae hatch within 5 to 20 days, they start feeding on the cowpea, also one cowpea can contain more than one larva, larvae live inside Cowpea throughout the entire life cycle until it turns into an adult cowpea weevils, it takes two weeks to six month, If cowpea stored in a warm and humid place, life cycle occurs in less than three weeks, cowpea weevils is not very common in other types of beans or chickpeas or lentils, they don’t  infect cereals or whole grains stored at home.

Feeding habits if cowpea weevils

cowpea weevils feed on cowpea and beans that are stored at any place, either in homes, factories, or storage places in large quantities, they can destroy huge amounts of cowpea if not discovered in an early stage and eliminated, so you have to check your storage food sources regularly from time to time.

 cowpea weevils Signs of infestation 

when the infestation increase, it is possible to see adult cowpea weevils moving or flying near the windows or the entry points to the home and the doors, cowpea weevils can also enter homes from the garden and plants, also cowpeas weevils are found in grocery shops and stores that are close to your home.

How to get rid of cowpea weevils

• Search for infestation between food sources, where cowpea weevils are present, such as food containers, leftovers or stored area where contains large quantities of cowpea.
• accurate examination of storage area, especially in cowpea or beans places.
• Get rid of the infected kidney beans and beans away from home.
• Put the suspected cowpea at zero degrees Fahrenheit for six days.
• Clean storage areas of the infected beans by a vacuum cleaner or with soap and water.
• Store dried beans in a sealed container to reduce cowpea infestation.
• Use pesticides to get rid of cowpea weevils by spraying over them.
• Close all cracks and holes where cowpea weevils can hide.
• When you are not able to control cowpea weevil infestation, you should call our experts of Pest Control Company in Jeddah to help you eliminate cowpea weevils with advanced methods.