Bug FAQPea Beetle
Bruchus pisorum · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Chrysomelidae
Also called: Pea weevil, Pea Pest
Source: Wikipedia
Adult pea weevils are short, stout beetles about 5 mm long with grey-to-black bodies and white spots on their wing covers. They are found across Europe, northern Asia, North America and temperate parts of Asia, and originally come from Asia Minor. The species has one generation per year, females lay from a few to several hundred eggs, larvae develop for 7 to 11 weeks and pupate for 2 to 3 weeks.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The beetle’s wing covers are shorter than the abdomen, leaving large white patches at the base. White scales form distinct spots on the elytra.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults are about 5 mm long and have an oval, stout shape.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
In Chile it is considered the principal pest of peas.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
The larva passes through four distinct instars during development.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The pea weevil produces one generation each year (univoltine). A female can lay anywhere from three to 735 eggs. Larval development lasts 7 to 11 weeks, followed by a pupal stage of 2 to 3 weeks.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
In South Australia, adults leave overwintering sites and enter pea fields in early spring, sometimes as early as mid-August but usually in early September.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its natural range is Asia Minor wherever its host peas grow.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 15 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Oregon, Utah, Texas, Kentucky, Washington, Idaho, New York, California.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: introduced in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
How many eggs can a female pea weevil lay?
A female may lay as few as three eggs or as many as 735 eggs.
Source: Wikipedia
When do pea weevils appear in pea fields?
In South Australia they arrive in early spring, often in early September, but sometimes as early as mid-August.
Source: Wikipedia
What do adult pea weevils look like?
They are about 5 mm long, grey-to-black with white-spotted wing covers that are shorter than the abdomen, exposing white patches.
Source: Wikipedia
Are pea weevils a problem for pea crops?
Yes, they are a major pest of peas in southern Russia and the main pea pest in Chile.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Chrysomelidae)
Spotted Cucumber BeetleDiabrotica undecimpunctataDamages trees, gardens or crops
Bean WeevilAcanthoscelides obtectusDamages trees, gardens or crops
Cowpea WeevilCallosobruchus maculatusDamages trees, gardens or crops
Swamp Milkweed Leaf BeetleLabidomera clivicollisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Alder Leaf BeetleAgelastica alniDamages trees, gardens or crops
Dogbane Leaf BeetleChrysochus auratusSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruchus_pisorum
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-27 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-27.