grain/granary weevil

5905   Found in large numbers in an apartment crawling on the floors and walls. I am in Saskatoon, SK and it has been very cold outside recently. Does not appear to be coming from any singular location (found in living room, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom). I have only found concentrated areas (10 bugs) in small piles in the corner of windowsills, but they were all dead. I have checked my indoor potted plants, but have found no evidence of them. I guess they have a chitinous exoskeleton since they crunch between your fingernail and a hard surface. They are about 4mm long. They seem to be attracted to lamp when the rest of the room is dark. When you pick them up they “play dead”, that is, they curl up all their legs into themselves and lie motionless for 5-10 seconds.  Thanks for your consideration.  Ian

This is a weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), it looks like one of the grain/granary weevils in the genus Sitophilus – see http://tinyurl.com/hl8fkt9 for an example. You should check all food storage areas where you keep dry food items (including bird seed), especially seeds of wheat, rice, or corn (maize), for signs of infestation. Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV.