Bug FAQMile-a-minute weevil
Rhinoncomimus latipes · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Curculionidae
Also called: Chinese weevil
The mile-a-minute weevil, Rhinoncomimus latipes, belongs to the beetle family Curculionidae. It was brought from Asia to North America in 2004 to fight the invasive vine mile-a-minute. Adults eat the leaves of mile-a-minute in spring, and their larvae bore into stems, reducing the plant’s growth.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Rhinoncomimus latipes is a weevil in the Curculionidae family.
Source: Wikipedia
How to get rid of it
- The weevil strongly prefers mile-a-minute and has been effective at reducing its populations where released.
- It has been released by hand and from aircraft in hard-to-reach areas using “bug pods.”
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults emerge in early spring and feed on the leaves of mile-a-minute vines.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
A growing season can produce three to four overlapping generations. Fully grown larvae drop to the soil, pupate, and become adults about a month after the eggs are laid.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults overwinter in leaf litter and become active in early spring.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species is native to Asia and was intentionally released in the United States in 2004.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 12 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, District of Columbia, Massachusetts, New Jersey.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: introduced in North America; introduced in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
How does the mile-a-minute weevil control the invasive vine?
Both adult feeding on leaves and larval stem boring damage mile-a-minute, lowering its growth and seed production.
Source: Wikipedia
When are mile-a-minute weevils active?
Adults emerge from leaf-litter overwintering sites in early spring and remain active through the growing season.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Curculionidae)
Green Immigrant Leaf WeevilPolydrusus formosusDamages trees, gardens or crops
Black Vine WeevilOtiorhynchus sulcatusDamages trees, gardens or crops
Nettle weevilPhyllobius pomaceusDamages trees, gardens or crops
Asian Oak WeevilCyrtepistomus castaneusDamages trees, gardens or crops
Strawberry Root WeevilOtiorhynchus ovatusDamages trees, gardens or crops
Common Leaf WeevilPhyllobius pyriDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhinoncomimus_latipes
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-27 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-27.