Callosobruchus maculatus (Coleoptera: Bruchidae), commonly known as the cowpea seed beetle, is the most important pest of stored cowpea in tropical Africa. In rural area where preservation techniques and facilities are limited, it causes post-harvest weight and quality losses. The importance of damages which can reach 100% in a few months justifies the development of effective and appropriate control methods in the villages. All these control methods and their applications are discussed in this paper. Chemical control is inappropriate at farm level, because of its cost and hazards. The many studies conducted on varietal resistance have enabled identification of varieties that are more or less resistant to this pest; however, the varieties are often of little interest from the agronomic point of view. The incorporation of that resistance in cultivated varieties is in progress. The physical control methods are inadequate because their application requires equipment and technical knowledge which are not found in rural areas. Biological control is an attractive alternative but is still at an experimental stage. All these limitations support promotion of traditional control methods. Among them, the use of inert substances as well as indigenous plants or their by-products have given, in many cases, a satisfactory control of C. maculatus.