Cigarette Beetle Facts & Information
Protect your home or business from cigarette beetles by learning techniques for identification and control.
Treatment
How do I get rid of cigarette beetles?
What You Can Do
Controlling cigarette beetles in homes begins with a thorough inspection. Since these beetles can feed on such a variety of products, it is important to find all infested items. Discard any food that is infested. Since these beetles can infest so many types of products, inspect thoroughly. There may be several infested products.
Use a vacuum to clean the shelves of all pantries and cabinets where food is stored. Vacuuming will remove food residue. Store new food products in sealed glass or plastic containers.
Insecticide application is the final step. It should be applied into the cracks and crevices—behind the pantry shelves and behind baseboards. The object is to eliminate adult beetles that have dispersed from the infested materials.
What Orkin Can Do
If the treatment misses any beetles, they can re-infest quickly. For that reason, it is usually advisable to schedule an inspection with your local Orkin branch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Behavior, Diet & Habits
Understanding Cigarette Beetles
Appearance
The cigarette beetle, Lasiodermaserricorne (Fabricius), gets its name from attacking stored tobacco. It is a stored product pest throughout the world.
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Size: The adult beetle is a small insect (2 to 3 mm).
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Color: It is usually light brown.
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Head: The head is bent down and barely visible from above. This gives the beetle a rounded or “humped” appearance.
Behavior
The cigarette beetle gets its name from attacking stored tobacco. It is a stored product pest throughout the world. The adult beetles are strong fliers. They are very active in subdued light. They fly readily in late afternoon and on cloudy days. Cigarette beetles “play dead” for a few seconds when they are disturbed.
Reproduction & Life Cycle
The female beetle lays her eggs in or on the food material. These beetles infest a wide variety of products, including pet food, flour, cereal, spices and pasta. They have also infested books, dried flowers, spices, leather, silk, old rodent bait and even museum specimens. In homes, spices and dry pet food are very common foods for cigarette beetles.
The larvae eat and grow. They spin a cocoon when it is time to change into adults. The entire life cycle, from egg to reproducing adult takes 30 to 90 days. Development slows in cooler temperature and stops below 65°F.
Cigarette Beetle Larvae