House and Garden Series

F@stSheet Ent-1013

Cigarette and Drugstore Beetles IN THIS F@STSHEET IDENTIFICATION DAMAGE BIOLOGY CONTROL FOR MORE INFORMATION

        The cigarette and drugstore beetles (Coleoptera: Anobiidae) are two of the most common pests of stored products in homes. Both species are found throughout the world. The cigarette beetle, Lasioderma serricorne (Fabricius)(Fig. B), is common throughout tropical and subtropical regions, and is commonly found in heated buildings in temperate areas. The drugstore beetle, Stegobium paniceum (Linnaeus) (Fig. A), is characteristically more temperate than tropical.

IDENTIFICATION
      Cigarette and drugstore beetles resemble other Anobiid beetles, including the Anobiid powderpost beetles.  Adult beetles are rounded in profile, oval shaped, light-brown color, 1/16-1/8 inch-long. A hood-like prothorax encloses and conceals the head when viewed from above.   The hind femoras retract into grooves in hind coxae.
        Cigarette and drugstore beetles can be distinguished by grooving on the wing covers and by their antennal shape.  The drugstore beetle's wing covers possess distinct striae, or grooves, and its antennae are clubbed with three elongated and broadened segments at the tips.  The wing covers of cigarette beetles are very smooth, without distinct grooves; and the antennal segments are sawlike, or serrate.
        Mature larvae are up to 3/16 inch-long, white, c-shaped and subcylindrical, with all segments similar in size.  Each leg has 4-segments.  Hairs, or setae, covering the bodies of larval cigarette beetles are longer and more apparent than those on drugstore beetle larvae.

DAMAGE
      These two species are among the most prevalent stored product pests worldwide.  They may feed on all kinds of plant material including tobacco, seeds, grain, nuts, beans, spices, cottonseed meal, dried fruits and vegetables, flour, spices, and dried herbarium specimens. Animal products such as dead insects, dried fish and fish meal, and leather may also be attacked. On grains, these insects are classified as external feeders.  Adults and larvae feed primarily on the outside of the grain, though they may also chew through the outer coat and devour the insides. Both species are among the most common stored product pests in homes and in commercial food processing and distribution facilities.

BIOLOGY
      Females lay up to 100 eggs over a 6-20 day period in crevices, folds, or depressions in their food. The time needed to develop depends on the food source and other environmental conditions, but ranges from 26 to over 100 days (commonly, 30-50 days). Optimal conditions for development are 70-80% RH, and temperatures between 68° and 86°F. Development generally ceases below 59°F and above 94°F.
        The number of larval instars ranges from four to six. Newly hatched larvae are very active and can enter food packaging through very small holes, including minute seams around lids of spice containers. Pupation occurs in loosely constructed pupal cells within the food source. Adults of both species can fly.

CONTROL
        Good sanitation, early detection, and destruction of infested materials are keys to control of cigarette and drugstore beetles.   Check all old packages of stored foods listed above and discard any food products that you find infested.  Pet foods are common sources of infestation.  If your home has been previously infested with a mouse or rat, look for old rodent nests.  Rodents often hoard food, such as seed or dog food, in their nests.  Food in such nests can then become the source of a difficult to locate infestation, after the rodents have been controlled.
        Heat treatment is routinely employed in museums when receiving new herbarium specimens.  Heating specimens to 125°F for two to four hours, or freezing infested materials at 0°F for six days, is generally sufficient to kill all life stages.  Small quantities of pet food may be disinfested by placing in a cold freezer for two weeks.  Pet food treated in this manner can then be safely fed to pets.
        Dried flower arrangements can be protected to some extent by treating storage containers with a dessicant dust like silica aerogel or diatomaceous earth.  Dust the box or container lightly before placing the flowers inside.
        Pheromone traps have been developed for both species.  These traps use a special sex-scent to attract male beetles.   Effectiveness of these traps can be enhanced by placing them near windows or other light sources.  In commercial operations pheromone traps can be used to determine where infestations are located and when aerosol applications of pesticides may be needed.   Aerosol applications of insecticides like pyrethrins or resmethrin can suppress adult cigarette beetle populations temporarily, but do not eliminate larval infestations.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
For more information about stored product pests, see Extension leaflet L-2046, Pantry and Fabric Pests in the Home. For sources of stored product pest pheromones, contact one of the following companies:

• Gempler's. 100 Countryside Drive, P.O. Box 270, Belleville, WI 53508. Phone: 800-382-8473. www.gemplers.com
• Insects Limited, Inc. 10540 Jessup Boulevard, Indianapolis, IN 46280-1451. Phone: (317) 846-3399. http://www.insectslimited.com
• Ecogen, Inc., Scentry Division, 2005 Cabot Blvd. West, Langhorne, PA 19047. Phone: 800-220-3326 or 215-757-1590.

Images courtesy U.S. Department of Agriculture.

These publications, and help with additional questions about other pest problems, can be obtained by contacting your local county Extension office.

Author:
Michael Merchant, Ph.D., Urban Entomologist, Texas AgriLife Extension Service

Publication information:
This publication is part of the House & Landscape Pest Series produced by the Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-2475. The most recent update can be found at: http://citybugs.tamu.edu/FastSheets/Ent-1013.html . Series Editor: M. Merchant. For more information about arthropods, check out the Texas A&M Entomology Website at http://insects.tamu.edu
Last revision: 5/30/02