Ever wonder why your cupboard is crawling with little brown beetles? It is likely that you have an infestation of cigarette beetles.
Cigarette bugs may damage your stored items even if you do not smoke or have a lot of tobacco products in your cabinets. Cigarette beetles, or Lasioderma serricorne, can eat almost anything we would consider a common product. Unsurprisingly, cigarette beetles can cause damage to your stored products, whether it be dried fruit and spices in the kitchen, or a pet’s food in the laundry room. See more in our blog post to learn more.
Why should you eradicate cigarette beetles from your pantry?
Adult cigarette beetles can reach a length of 1/10th of an inch and have an oval form.Their bodies appear humpbacked due to the slant of their heads downward. Smaller than the adult cigarette beetle, the larvae are off-white in color and mimic worms.
What is causing the Cigarette Beetle issue?
The cigarette beetle is the primary pest of stored tobacco. In stored grains, they are often feeding, not on the grain itself, but on waste or a dead insect, causing injury to the grain. They will even eat pyrethrum powder, which is strong enough to kill cockroaches.
What are the signs of Infestation of Cigarette Beetles?
The symptoms of carpet beetles would definitely be seeing small brown beetles flying around your home, especially in the evening, and you may also see little holes in food packaging, and above that little hole, there would be frozen liquid just beyond the hole where it has seeped out of the package.
What are the dangers of Cigarette Beetles?
They can also infect food in storage in your own home. They invade nuts, pasta, wheat, dried fruit, dried seafood, and dry seasonings. How Can Cigarette Beetles Be Controlled?
Because cigarette beetles are present in our food supply, infestations should only be treated by trained professionals. Furthermore, if DIY pest control substances and treatments are overused or mixed incorrectly, they may be harmful to both people and dogs. For effective food storage pest management, get in touch with a pest control expert if you have observed insects in pantry items or if plant employees have reported infestations.
How Can a Re-infestation Be Prevented?
You can take a few steps around your house to help prevent tobacco beetles from re-infesting. The first thing to do is to make sure you get rid of anything in your house that has been infected by cigarette bugs. Cigarette beetles will rapidly come to your home if any infected products are left there.
Dry goods that are kept in your kitchen should be regularly rotated. In addition, you should keep dry goods in sealed containers made of glass or plastic instead of in their original packaging. Also, you should thoroughly clean and wash over kitchen shelves and pantry areas to remove food debris.
Conclusion
In the case that you are unable to control the Cigarette Beetle population, consider contacting a pest control professional. They have the necessary experience with effective services that may help you eliminate the infestation and prevent a future infestation in the home.