Biting Weevil

Hello all. I just had to share this and get some feedback. Today my wife was bitten by a weevil. In all my 20 + years of dealing with insects, this was the first weevil bite I've ever witnessed. I've handled weevils hundreds of times and never have been bitten. She was feeding our baby and yelled out to me that something was biting her. I went in to check it out and there was the little weevil on her foot. I thought perhaps she was mistaking being bitten, but when I tried to pick it off of her, it was locked on good with a bite, having the end of it's snout dug in well (the only thing holding it on). I had to flick it twice to get it off and I examined it under a magnifier. There was only a very tiny red dot where the weevil had latched on. I can only assume the weevil was quite confused or possibly threatened from being between her slipper and foot (though I've never seen a defensive weevil - they usually just roll over and play dead.) I haven't gotten a good photo yet, but I'll try again (I still have the specimen). But I found this odd. I've heard of poeple claiming to have received a bite from a "beetle with a long snout", but I've assumed they were speaking of an assassin bug type, so I've never given any serious thought to it. But this was a first for me. Has anyone else ever received a bite from a weevil or heard of this behavior elsewhere?

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Contributed by Jason D. Roberts on 20 April, 2006 - 5:55pm
Last updated 19 January, 2024 - 8:50pm

What would happen

Hi, read the posts regarding a Weevil might have bitten to prepare a place to lay eggs.
My question is; what do you think would happen to the area bit if the Weevil was successful ?

… WiggySr, 27 July, 2012 - 6:22am

biting weevil

Yesterday I got bitten by a weevil. I felt something, looked at my arm and there was this black thing which I captured & I think it's a weevil. I could try to send a picture. There's not even a mark or else it's too small to see. I have determined that it's not a tick, I think.

… gardener, 17 June, 2012 - 9:45am

Mama Weevil?

I've never heard of anyone getting bitten by a weevil either, but given the circumstances, can't help wondering whether your weevil wasn't just a female looking to lay an egg...some species cause crop damage by biting an 'oviposition bite' into seed pods and such. I've had female pet grasshoppers in a laying mood try to 'bore' their ovipositors down in between my fingers when climbing about on my hands so I suppose it's quite possible that insect instinct may sometimes overcome common sense (from our viewpoint). Sounds more plausible to me anyway than the notion that your weevil was actually trying to 'eat' your wife's foot or defend itself against being squished!

… Heimchen, 20 April, 2006 - 9:38pm

Definitely possible

You know, I actually considered that possibility, given the ovipositing behavior, but it made my wife's skin crawl to think it was choosing her foot to lay eggs. If indeed that was the behavior being exhibited, I just hope it wasn't successful! But regardless, it was definitely interesting to observe that. Thanks for the comment.

… Jason D. Roberts, 20 April, 2006 - 10:11pm

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