The Cigarette Beetle - A Stored Product Pest

With warehouse grains, dried fruit and nuts, flour, tobacco  and other stored dried goods you face the problem of stored product pests. These nasty little critters get into your goods and can contaminate silos and other stock. One of the most harmful pest is The Cigarette Beetle. 

As the name suggests it is found in tobacco stores but it is also found in grains, flours and some animal products. The Cigarette Beetle lives between 2 - 6 weeks and grows to 2-3mm in length. Why, you ask is this tiny beetle such a pest? It is their breeding cycle that makes them so damaging to your stored goods. The female lays up a 100 eggs loosely through the product.

Breeding can happen between 20oC – 38oC so even during the cool Queensland months these nasty critters can reproduce. What makes the Cigarette Beetle a bigger menace is their ability to lay dormant when it is too cold. Eggs can lay dormant for months until the temperature is right for them.

How do you stop this pest and protect your products?

A major preventative against infestation is hygiene. The removal of damaged products and improved procedures in hygiene can significantly lower the chances of infestation. This combined with surface treatment (sprays) and space treatment (gas/ foggings) can protect your goods.

What happens when I have a problem?

Major space treatments and surface treatments can kill the infestation. However if the product is isolated in containers, silos or able to be sheeted a fumigation can be carried out using Methyl Bromide and Phosphine Tablets. These treatments can insure that any pests are eliminated. 

If you think you may have a Cigarette Beetel Infestation, contact Goodes Pest Control before too much damage occurs.