Biting Midge vs Rice Weevil

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Biting Midge Rice Weevil
Scientific Name Culicoides impunctatus Sitophilus oryzae
Order Diptera Coleoptera
Family Ceratopogonidae Curculionidae
Size 1-3 mm 2-3.5 mm
Habitat Indoors Indoors
Diet Blood Feeders Seed Feeders
Regions Europe Worldwide
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Biting Midge

A tiny, gray, blood-sucking fly notorious in Scotland and Scandinavia as the Highland midge. Swarms can be so dense they form visible clouds and drive people indoors.

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Did You Know?

Highland midges are estimated to cost the Scottish tourism industry over 300 million pounds annually and were reportedly a factor in slowing the construction of the West Highland Railway.

Rice Weevil

A small reddish-brown weevil that is one of the most destructive stored grain pests worldwide. Adults bore into kernels to lay eggs inside.

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Did You Know?

A single female can lay up to 400 eggs in her lifetime, each deposited inside an individual grain kernel.