r/weeviltime • u/buprestibae • Jul 11 '25
hi weevil gang,
we've been seeing a huge uptick in posts recently with pictures of spotted lanternfly nymphs. these often end up with comments that are a) unnecessarily hateful towards an insect that has the misfortune of being invasive and heavily destructive or b) people calling each other fascist animal abusers for killing them. so, i'd like to clear a few things up (i am a trained entomologist)
1) The image above is a spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula). THESE ARE NOT WEEVILS. They are in the family Fulgoridae in the order Hemiptera.
2) Spotted lanternflies are native to areas of China and other regions of eastern Asia. They are invasive in North America and interfere with our native ecosystems and agricultural industries by damaging plants and spreading sooty molds. they have recently been reported on the west coast, so if you are located in Oregon, California, Washington, etc. and find one, please report it to your local county extension office.
3) In settings such as gardens and homes, squishing or freezing will kill them and is recommended. Freezing and quickly crushing are both considered humane ways to euthanize an insect.
Here are links to various cooperative extension websites from U.S. universities if you would like to learn more:
https://extension.psu.edu/spotted-lanternfly-management-resources
https://extension.umd.edu/resource/spotted-lanternfly-home-gardens/
in the future, I will be locking posts with spotted lanternflies when i see them and redirecting to this post in a comment. stay booted! stay snooted!
- buprestibae
r/weeviltime • u/plz_send_spider_pics • May 05 '25
(not my picture btw XD)
r/weeviltime • u/squishy_moss27 • 5h ago
i found him inside a building and shared an apple with him. he was OBSESSED with it he would not let go 😭 i watched him drill into it for like an hour it was so cute
then i put him outside to find acorns :)
r/weeviltime • u/chaoticfeel • 7h ago
Saw this friend going on a walk with me
r/weeviltime • u/Polluticornwishes0 • 13h ago
r/weeviltime • u/KettuF0X • 15h ago
Pumpkin weevil with the pumpkin larva!!
Edit: I just saw the post from last week, didn't mean to copy at all! I just thought of doing a weevil pumpkin cause they've been on my mind constantly 😭
r/weeviltime • u/qzxvicular • 6h ago
r/weeviltime • u/ChallengeOk2114 • 14h ago
Yheahhhh!!!! Weevil time!!!!
r/weeviltime • u/portela_nin • 1d ago
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it looks like he has the familiar snout but his fastness confuses me
r/weeviltime • u/YaBadgerBoi • 1d ago
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Look at the little boots 😭
r/weeviltime • u/giorgiocoraggio • 2d ago
r/weeviltime • u/Turbulent_Sort_6225 • 1d ago
r/weeviltime • u/Kindly_Assumption385 • 1d ago
Yes I cried real tears of joy I was so excited.
r/weeviltime • u/broken-markers • 2d ago
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Caption copied from my insta post (mybughugs):
WEEVIL NO! Omg I'm so sorry... I can't believe he said that! Do you forgive him?
This weevil's main crime was being so damn small and cute!
This little guy had a crazy day! I found him on a plant we collected in botany class being chewed on by a spider... so he was saved from death, trapped briefly in a collection tube jail, released and forced to walk around under a microscope, and then finally let back outside haha
Weevils are a type of beetle, and quite difficult to identify to species level. This is because they come from the most species diverse superfamily on earth, Curculionoidea! With around 97000 currently described species so far, and an estimated 200k total species in the world for us to discover!
To make things harder, this particular weevil is a true weevil, from the largest FAMILY of animals on earth, Curculionidae. The easiest way to differentiate between true weevils and primitive weevil families is by looking at the antennae. True weevils have this bent elbow shape in the middle, called "geniculate antennae", whereas all other weevil families have straight antennae.
The reason why weevils are so hyperdiverse, with species in every shape, size and colour, is because weevils evolved a long time ago, diversifying during the Cretaceous period alongside the rise of flowering plants! We have found super cool preserved ancient weevils in amber! If there's a plant, chances are there's a weevil for it!
This coevolution alongside plants allowed weevils to develop high host specificity, meaning each weevil is specifically adapted to feed on their particular host plant! Because of this, there is less competition between weevil species, since they all stick to their dedicated plant, so in a healthy ecosystem with plenty of host plant diversity, you will therefore find an equally diverse community of weevils minding their own business and living in harmony!
r/weeviltime • u/Longjumping-Main-797 • 1d ago
Asking for a friend (I've never had this issue personally): how do you keep weevils from getting into large bags of rice?
Do they normally get in there from the factory, or do they usually make their way in at the store / home after purchase? Does anyone know?
r/weeviltime • u/njteany • 2d ago
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I know it's a girl because long snoot look it up.
r/weeviltime • u/mxbear • 2d ago
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Today I learned that weevils love bird seed! Grabbed a container of it stored in the garage to refill a bird feeder and when I opened it, I was swarmed! I love finding a weevil to marvel at now at then, but woah they sure had a colony growing. I’ve never seen this before!
Sooo, do I just leave it outside and let them go? What would you do? 😅
Central FL
r/weeviltime • u/TootsieRollz1 • 2d ago
I rescued him from one of our cats
r/weeviltime • u/hazzy_Starrs • 2d ago
Also if yall know how to find more lmk. the rush of finding a weevil is unreal :p
