Cigarette beetle

Cigarette Bettle

Cigarette Bettle

Facts, Identification & Control

Appearance

Between 2-3.5 mm long, oval and light brown to reddish brown in color, the quickest way of distinguishing them is the presence of pattern less pits on their wing covers.

Habitat

The female lays her eggs in food materials, which hatch and complete another life cycle in about two months for the cigarette beetle. They are strong fliers and attracted to light. Because they not only eat grains, but also make silk cocoons at their developmental site, they are destructive to stored grain products.

Cigarette Beetle Control

Through a combination of traps and residual products on the perimeter of the warehouse, access to stored products is greatly reduced. Additionally, maintaining constant sanitation practices will help to prevent the growth of a domestic pest population. Constant reapplications and inspections make it necessary to be set up on an ongoing professional program. Since these beetles can fly and are attracted to light, light traps in conjunction with sticky traps can be quite effective in redressing any present adult population.

Cigarette Beetle Prevention

The best prevention method incorporates constant inspection of all incoming products and ensuring the warehouse is suitably protected from insect entry. If a batch of product is found to be infested, subject it to extreme temperatures (over 125°F) for 30 minutes to an hour. This will eliminate the pests at all levels of development and prevent infestation of the rest of the stored products. All stored products should be kept in sealed containers and off the ground on pallets as well as away from the walls. This not only allows for adequate inspection and better ventilation but also makes access for insects more difficult.

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