Cigarette Beetle

Key Features

Cigarette beetles (Lasioderma serricorne) are quite small, measuring about 2 to 3 mm (about 1/8 of an inch), and are reddish brown. They have a rounded, oval shape and the head is often concealed by the pronotum when the beetle is viewed from above. The elytra (wing covers) are covered with fine hairs. When disturbed they often pull in their legs, tuck their head and lay motionless. They prefer to reside in dark or dimly lit cracks, nooks and crevices but become active and fly readily in bright, open areas, probably in an attempt to find refuge. They are most active at dusk and will continue activity through the night. Adults do not feed but will drink liquids.

Biology

The length of the cigarette beetle life cycle is highly dependent on temperature and the food source but usually takes 40 to 90 days. Females lay 10 to 100 eggs in the food and the larvae emerge in six to 10 days. After feeding for five to 10 weeks, during which they go through four to six instars, the larvae excavate a protective cell in the feeding substrate or build a protective cocoon from bits of food and debris. Pupation takes from one to three weeks and after emerging the adults live from one to four weeks. In warmer climates there may be five or six overlapping generations. Development periods of 26 days at 37°C and 120 days at 20°C have been reported. Development is incomplete at 17°C and adults die when exposed to 4°C for six days.

Distribution

The cigarette beetle is pan-tropical but can be found worldwide - especially wherever dried tobacco in the form of leaves, cigars, cigarettes, or chewing tobacco is stored.

Significance

Besides the dubious honour of being the most damaging pest of stored tobacco, the cigarette beetle also is a major pest of many stored food products including flours, dry mixes, dried fruits such as dates and raisins, cereals, cocoa, coffee beans, herbs, spices, nuts, rice, dry dog food and other products

Control

The first step in managing an infestation is to find and remove the source of the infestation (Koehler 2003). Cigarette beetles can feed and survive on even the smallest bits of food, so cleaning is a crucial part of controlling these pests. In large-scale infestations, fumigation (the treatment of the infested material via the application of toxic gas) may be appropriate.

Sticky traps baited with the female cigarette beetle sex pheromone, serricornin, can be used to monitor for beetles.