A to Z of Pests

Wood Boring Weevil

Euophryum sp

Appearance

• Adults are 2.5 to 5mm in length.
• The weevils are reddish brown to black. They have a long snout, a cylindrical body and short legs.
• The larvae are a creamy white C-shaped, wrinkled and legless.

Lifecycle

• Eggs are laid singly by the female in specially evacuated holes. They are glossy, white, flexible and flattened at one end and they hatch within 16 days.
• The larvae tunnel in the wood for between six months and a year. They pupate near the surface for between two to three weeks.
• The adult emerges in the summer by boring its way leaving exit holes. The adults may live for over a year.

Habits

• Damage is associated with damp and decaying wood, particularly timber already rotted by cellar fungus. Infestations can spread to adjacent healthy wood.