Drugstore beetles and cigarette beetles are two of the most common pests to infest stored food supplies. They are found all over the world and make their way into dog food bags, sacks of grain, boxes of nuts and essentially anything edible, or inedible (like tobacco). A sanitation nightmare, these beetles have been the scourge of food supplies and consumers alike for generations. Here are some facts about these two species of beetles and what can be done to keep them out of our food.
Facts About Drugstore/Cigarette Beetles
Each of these beetles are oval shaped with a light brown color. Cigarette beetles are slightly wider and darker than drugstore beetles, but they look mostly the same and behave very similarly. They exist all over the world but prefer and consume everything from dried fruits, seeds, nuts, grains, beans, spices and even other dead insects.
Even if the bag is sealed, they can still burrow a hole through the leather fabrics from the outside. While they don’t bite, they can still spread germs to the food through their feces and decomposing bodies, and they can quickly reproduce, as well, as females can lay 100 eggs in under a month.
Drugstore/Cigarette Beetle Prevention Tips
There are three main pillars of drugstore/cigarette beetle control. They are: Sanitation, early detection, and the destruction of infested food products.
- Keep the area around the food as clean and crumb free as possible. Any loose crumbs can encourage these pests into the food storage area, and from there it’s just a short distance to the containers.
- Check each box or bag of food suspected of being contaminated, thoroughly for these beetles.Look for pin holes, moving bodies as well as dead carcusses.
- Finally, any bag you find that is infested should be disposed of immediately so that the bugs don’t spread, take it to the outside trash can!
One way to keep these pests at bay is to have your local pest control expert set pheromone traps.These traps lure the male beetles, giving them the idea there is a female nearby and thus getting stuck to a sticky glue holding them at bay, making them a great way to help find the breeding site and keeping the population at bay. Heat treatment is also a viable solution, heating at 125 degrees fahrenheit for two hours, or deep freezing.
Drugstore/cigarette beetles can be destructive little pests, a nuisance to your home and property. You may have to throw out an entire box of dog biscuits just because an employee at the store didn’t want to rotate the stock. Luckily, with a little forward thinking and preventive measures, these pests won’t be causing too much of a problem for you anymore!
For more information, or to receive quality pest control services, visit us at Valley Pest Solutions Today!