Scouting is critical as soon as the yellow ray petals appear. Egg laying begins after female weevils feed on pollen. Adult weevils lay a single egg in each seed. Damage occurs when the weevil larva feeds on the developing seed, consuming all or part of it in mid to late summer. The exit hole of the red sunflower seed weevil is on the side of the seed, distinguishing it from banded sunflower moth which produces a feeding hole on the top of the seed.
Mosquito repellent is used to flush weevils out from between the florets for more accurate scouting.
Treatment is recommended when 7 to 9 adult seed weevils are found per oilseed head or when 1 to 2 weevils are found per confection sunflower head. The small maggots feed on the bract tissue, moving later to the florets. The maggots salivary secretions dissolve cell walls and they consume the dissolved material. The salivary secretions result in twisting and gnarled flower heads that may prevent flowering and seed set. Often, infestations are confined to field margins unless large populations are present.