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Cowpea Weevil

Callosobruchus maculatus[3]

The cowpea weevil is a small seed beetle that breeds inside stored dried legumes such as cowpeas and black-eyed peas.[1][2]

Group
Insect
Order
Coleoptera
Family
Chrysomelidae
Sources
3 cited
Updated
2026-10-16
Cowpea weevil, a small brown seed beetle with dark spots
Cowpea weevil, a small brown seed beetle with dark spots. (c) Vincent Mia Edie Verheyen, some rights reserved (CC BY) — via iNaturalist, CC BY 4.0
On this page
  1. Identification
  2. Look-alikes
  3. Where it lives
  4. Biology
  5. Damage and signs
  6. Health risk
  7. Control
  8. Related profiles
  9. Common questions
  10. Sources

How to identify it

  • Adults are light olive brown with darker or cream markings, the body narrowing toward a small head, and dark-tipped wing covers with two large black dots.[1][2]
  • Each female glues single eggs to seeds; the white larva bores inside, and the adult chews a round hole to get out.[1]

Look-alikes

Look-alikeHow to tell them apart
Bean weevilA related seed beetle that also breeds in stored beans.[2]

Where it lives

A worldwide pest that originated in Africa and spread to tropical and subtropical regions.[1]

Biology and life cycle

Infestations can start in the field, but most damage happens in storage, where they breed continuously in warm conditions.[1][2]

A female lays more than 100 eggs; a generation takes 3 to 4 weeks on mung beans and black-eyed peas.[1]

Damage and signs

  • Larvae eat out the seed, ruining dried beans, cowpeas, lentils and peas.[1][2]

Health risk

None to people or pets.[1][2]

Control

Sanitation

Inspect incoming legumes, clean up spills, rotate stock, and store dried beans and peas in pest-proof containers.[2]

Common questions

Why do my black-eyed peas have round holes?
Cowpea weevils develop inside stored legumes and chew round exit holes.[1][2]

Sources

  1. University of Florida IFAS Extension (EDIS, Featured Creatures), “Cowpea Weevil, Callosobruchus maculatus (EENY-769).” ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN1338 (accessed 2026-10-16)
  2. Utah State University Extension (Integrated Pest Management), “Bean and Cowpea Weevils (nuisance pest fact sheet).” extension.usu.edu/planthealth/ipm/notes_nuisance/bean-cowpea-weevils.php (accessed 2026-10-16)
  3. iNaturalist, “Callosobruchus maculatus taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/243762 (accessed 2026-10-06)

Updated 2026-10-16. Built from sourced records. Spot an error? Tell us.