Soon after harvest, they hatch into little worms that consume the grain.
Some farmers and grain mill operators pour chemicals on the stored grain to kill the weevils.
Other grain mill operators may use heat to kill the weevils eggs. Some do not trust the chemical methods and prefer not to eat wheat that has been treated by this method.
For own storage, it is recommended using dry ice as a carbon dioxide source. One half pounds of dry ice will fumigate 200 pounds of grain.
Place a few inches of grain in a container, place the dry ice on it, and fill the rest of the container.
It can be accomplished with same thing with small quantities of grain by heating it to 150 degrees for 20 minutes. This is usually enough to kill the weevils eggs with a negligible effect on the viability of the grain.
Heating the grain is not the most desirable method of killing weevils, but it is successful without any apparent loss of shelf life.
Another method of protecting grain against insects is to mix diatomaceous earth with it at the rate of one cup full to each 40 pounds of grain.
Diatomaceous earth is a fine white powder consisting of the calcium skeleton of one celled organisms called diatoms.
Under a microscope, one can see their tiny skeletons with long sharp spikes.
These microscope spikes puncture the soft skins of weevils causing them to leak body fluids and die. When cooked they simply add a small amount of calcium to the diet.
This method has the advantage that diatomaceous earth can be stored an used when needed. Dry ice, on the hand, is very volatile and must be kept frozen until used.
Protecting Stored Wheat from Insects
