Insects That Infest Bird Seed

Rice Weevils

• This tiny beetle has a small snout and is on average about 1/8 of an inch long. Rice weevils can be reddish brown to black and typically have four tiny red or yellow spots on their backs. Female rice weevils lay their eggs on whole grains and seeds, and their larvae subsequently feed on the seeds and kernels. Females typically lay between 300 and 400 eggs at any given time, so it's common for rice weevils to multiply quickly.

Indian Meal Moths

• These 1/2-inch long moths have pale grey wings with reddish brown markings on the outer portion. According to Gardening-For-Wildlife.com, it's the most common pest for any dried food. Check newly purchased birdseed for the moth webbing, which appear as tiny, sticky threads along the surface of the bag and often have seed particles attached to them. Never purchase birdseed in a package that's already been broken.

Maize Weevils

• The maize weevil is roughly the same size as the rice weevil and will consume nuts, grains, cereals and all types of seeds. These pests are usually reddish brown to black with small red or yellow spots on their backs. Maize weevils start out as tiny caterpillar-like larvae but spin cocoons after about three weeks. Upon hatching from their cocoons, maize weevils enter the adult stage with newly grown wings.

Granary Weevil

• Granary weevils have distinctive prolonged heads and snouts that make up about one fourth of their body. They are red brown to black with ridged wing-covers and a thorax with oval pits. Unlike the other weevils, a granary cannot fly. One distinctive behavior of granary weevils, according to Bugs.com, is that they play dead when disturbed, pulling their legs in and remaining motionless for several minutes. Like rice weevils, granary weevils lay their larvae inside grain kernels. It will show up as tiny holes in the birdseed.

Sawtoothed Grain Beetles

• Sawtoothed grain beetles infest birdseed, cereal, fruit, bread, sugar and macaroni. The brownish red adults are about 1/4 of an inch long with slender, flat bodies. Female sawtoothed grain beetles lay between 45 and 287 shiny, white eggs that hatch in roughly four days. The presence of these eggs and the tiny, yellowish white larvae indicate that you have a sawtoothed grain beetle infestation on your hands.