Are white rice weevils harmful to humans?

Many people will find white bugs in the rice at home. In fact, don’t panic. These bugs are harmless to the human body. It is just caused by the rice being stored for a long time and in humidity. Many people are afraid that eating rice with weevils will cause harm to the body. In fact, the problem of rice and vegetables having weevils is the same. As long as you are not allergic to foreign proteins, there is no need to worry, and there will be no problem.

1. White rice weevils are not harmful to humans

Rice weevils are one of the important storage pests, mainly damaging old grain stored for 2 to 3 years. They have strong reproductive capacity and large appetite, thus causing huge losses to grain storage.

Eating rice worms is not harmful to your body. Rice will usually have some rice weevils. Merchants are afraid of complaints, so they usually kill them with highly toxic gases (of course, once they are dispersed, they will be gone, as this is the international practice), for fear that there will be any residues. On the contrary, rice weevils are safer, just like cabbage weevils. If you are not allergic to foreign proteins, there is no harm in eating rice worms.

The rice weevil is a pest that generally grows in cereals such as corn, rice, wheat, and sorghum. However, rice weevils generally feed on grains, so they will not bite people, so there is no need to worry too much.

2. How to eliminate rice weevils

Improve grain storage conditions, keep warehouses clean, and block gaps to prevent rice weevils and other storage pests from entering, thereby reducing damage to grain;

Improve storage techniques, such as using wood ash, plastic film or kraft paper to isolate storage pests. If pests have already occurred, rice weevils should be driven out of the grain by exposing it to the sun, and the grains with pests should be separated from the grains without pests.

Contact killing by spraying or phosphine fumigation;

If the amount of grain to be stored is small, the grain can be protected from rice weevils by using insect-proof packaging or adding long-lasting odor repellents to the packaging bags.

3. How to store rice

Use garlic to store rice: There are many storage methods to prevent rice from being infested with insects, and the garlic storage method is one of them. Peel the garlic and put it into the bag of rice with the rice. It can sterilize, repel moths and kill fire mites. Star anise can also play a similar role, but it is best to break it up with your hands before putting it into the rice to make the effect more obvious.

Use white wine to store rice: Place the wine bottle vertically, insert it into the center of the rice, open the lid, let the mouth of the wine bottle slightly higher than the surface of the rice, then seal the rice. In order to allow the wine bottle to stand firmly in the rice and still keep it sealed, it is recommended to try to put the rice in a sealed container with a lid rather than in a bag.