what kind of bug is this?

July 26, 2017 10:05 AM

What is this bug? It is weirding me out. picture of bug
posted by bleary to Home & Garden (12 answers total)

Response by poster: I want to know if we should burn it with fire. and the house. and maybe outdoors.
posted by bleary at 10:07 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]

Some kind of rhinoceros beetle?
posted by leesh at 10:10 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]

Some kinda weevil, I'd wager. Probably only a problem if you're a plant. If that's the case, are you typing with your leaves or your roots? :)
posted by Dr. Wu at 10:11 AM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]

Best answer: I'm no expert, but with those antennae on the proboscis, the internet leads me to believe it is some sort of nut weevil (see also)
posted by solotoro at 10:12 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]

Anthonomus rubi?
posted by littlegreen at 10:14 AM on July 26, 2017

Best answer: I'm not sure, but I think that is a weevil. They're usually not that hard to get rid of.
posted by zarq at 10:15 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: As long as it is not a tick, bedbug, or something else like that then I am less freaked out. I guess for weevils we should make sure that rice, beans, etc are all sealed up.
posted by bleary at 10:16 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]

yeah they're not a big deal, they just look odd. check your pantry setup.
posted by fingersandtoes at 10:18 AM on July 26, 2017

I guess for weevils we should make sure that rice, beans, etc are all sealed up.

Also, your flour. But don't assume that an airtight container will prevent every infestation.

I always transfer our small bags of flour into airtight ceramic containers. A while back I opened one to to find live weevils swimming around in there. Turns out that weevils can lay their eggs in flour and then you wind up with an infestation. That can even happen before you bring the flour home!

It only happened once. But it taught me a valuable lesson to sift all of our flour before using it.
posted by zarq at 10:44 AM on July 26, 2017

We've gotten them in the house from birdseed kept to refill birdfeeders -- it's not something people often check when trying to clean up bugs, they're focused on the kitchen -- but birdseed often has the weevil eggs already in it, causing the cute gross annoying friendly bugs to suddenly appear seemingly out of nowhere.
posted by AzraelBrown at 11:03 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]

FWIW, I learned (in college) to keep cereals, grains, and flour in the refrigerator or freezer to make absolutely sure they remained pestilence free. Later, I learned that freezing grains and flour helps them stay fresh longer and makes them taste better/develop gluten better when cooked.
posted by amtho at 1:00 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]

weevils will lay eggs in soil that hatch into larvae/grubs that will eat the roots of your houseplants.
posted by srboisvert at 2:42 PM on July 26, 2017