Cigarette beetles are active all year round and are partial to any number of stored products found in your kitchen, including grains, cereal...
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Case Studies
Cigarette Beetles
Latin Name: Lasioderma serricorne
Months of Activity: January - December
The cigarette beetle is one of the most common household insect pests in the UK. It can be found throughout the year, but is more common in the autumn and winter months. A strong flier, the cigarette beetle can often be found in areas of subdued sunlight or where temperatures exceed 18°C.
As its name implies, the cigarette beetle is a pest of dried tobacco either in the stored, bundled form or in cigars, cigarettes, and chewing tobacco. However, it can also be partial to book bindings and a variety of stored products during its lifecycle.
Appearance
- Cigarette beetle larvae are very similar to the biscuit beetle and are slightly smaller than the adult beetle.
- An adult cigarette beetle measures 2–3mm in length. They have a humped throax, which is covered in tiny hairs giving them a silky, yellowish-brown colour.
Lifecycle
The female produces about 100 eggs, which are deposited on or near the available food supply. The wormlike larvae become fully grown in about 40-45 days – a lifecycle rate that can lead to 3-6 generations a year.
Adult cigarette beetles can live for between 2 to 5 weeks dependant on conditions and availability of food, and are known to consume almost every type of grain and cereal, including spices such as chilli powder and paprika.
Pest Control
A serious stored product pest, the range of food that this type of beetle can consume makes them difficult to control. The source of the infestation must be located, which often means the inspection of all dried foods in an around the infested area.
Once the infestation is localised, all contents should be thrown away and the area completely cleaned using a vacuum cleaner. Chemical sprays should be avoided, unless deemed absolutely necessary by a qualified pest control technician.
Infestations of dried flowers may be "fumigated" by placing a small amount of moth crystals together with the flowers in a plastic bag for a day or two.