Cigarette beetle
Scientific name
Lasioderma serricorne (Fabricius)
Classification
Secondary pest; Grain feeder
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Anobiidae
Acronym: LSE
Description
- Adults are small (2 to 3.5 mm long), reddish brown and oval shaped.
- Larvae are white and covered in numerous long hairs.
- As larvae mature, they become crescent-shaped and their mobility decreases.
Images
Similar species
- Drugstore beetle (Stegobium paniceum) – Unlike the cigarette beetle, the drugstore beetle has striae on the elytra and does not have serrate antennae.
Commodities affected
- Tobacco, seeds, spices, drugs, grains, cereal products
- Dried leaves, furniture, pepper, ginger, rhubarb, dried insects, dried fish, dried meat, fish meal, rice, figs, yeast and a wide variety of other dried products
Signs of infestation
- Products contaminated with larval cocoons, frass (excrement), dead adult beetles
Damage
- Larvae feed directly on commodity and contaminate it with frass (excrement).
- Larvae can damage package by burrowing.
How to control
Geographic range
- Is found worldwide, but does better in subtropical and tropical regions than in temperate regions
- Is found across Canada, but can only survive winter in heated buildings
Life history
- Adults are short lived (25 days) and do not feed on commodity, but they may cause damage by chewing on surrounding structures.
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