Bug FAQRed Sunflower Seed Weevil
Smicronyx fulvus · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Curculionidae
Adult red sunflower seed weevils are tiny, about 2.5 to 3 mm long and reddish-brown in color. They live in the United States and Canada, and their larvae feed on sunflower plants (Helianthus species). The larvae can be parasitised by the braconid wasp Nealiolus curculionis.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
They are long and have a reddish-brown coloration.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults measure between 2.5 and 3 mm in length.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Larvae feed on plants of the genus Helianthus (sunflowers).
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Larvae develop on Helianthus species and may be parasitised by the braconid wasp Nealiolus curculionis.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species occurs in the United States and Canada.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 15 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, Arizona, Nebraska, New Mexico.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do the larvae of the red sunflower seed weevil eat?
The larvae feed on sunflower plants (Helianthus species).
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/Smicronyx_fulvus
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.