|
Cigarette Beetle
Image by USDA-ARS-GMPRC Image Database - License: Public Domain. (view image details)
|
Cigarette Beetle larva
Image by USDA-ARS-GMPRC Image Database - License: Public Domain. (view image details)
|
|
|
CIGARETTE BEETLE FACTS |
Identification
The adult Cigarette Beetle is a small reddish brown beetle with a rounded, oval shape. The wing covers are covered with fine hair. The head is hidden by the pronotum when the beetle is seen from above. Cigarette Beetles are very similar to Drugstore Beetles (Stegobium paniceum) but the cigarette beetle has uniform antennae while the Drugstore beetle antennae terminate in a distinct three segment club. The Cigarette Beetle has smooth wing covers and the Drugstore Beetle has rows of pits in fine lines along the wing covers. The Cigarette Beetle is also very similar Common Furniture Beetle (Anobium punctatum), but A. punctatum has a pronounced humped hooded thorax.
Other Names
Tobacco Beetle
Size
length 2mm to 3mm
Habitat
found wherever dried tobacco products are stored. They often shelter in dark and dimly lit areas in cracks and crevices. They are most active at dusk and during the night.
Food
The Cigarette Beetle is a serious pest of stored tobacco, and also is a pest of stored food products such as flour, dried fruit, cereals, cocoa, coffee beans, nuts, rice etc. It can infest kitchen cabinets and pantries. It may feed on non-food products such as dried plants, medicinal herbs, furniture stuffing, book binding. The larvae are the problem - adult beetles do not feed, but do drink liquids.
Breeding
The female Cigarette Beetle lay between 10 and 100 eggs in the food source. Eggs hatch after about 6 to 10 days. The larvae pupate in the food source. The complete lifecycle usually takes around 40 to 120 days.
Range
The Cigarette Beetle is found in many parts of the world, and throughout Australia
Classification
| Class: | Insecta | | Order: | Coleoptera | | Family: | Anobiidae | | Genus: | Lasioderma | | Species: | serricorne | | Common Name: | Cigarette Beetle |
|
|
