Cigarette Beetles Are Destructive Pests, But They Can Be Eliminated With Professional Pest Control Services

Posted on: 17 June 2021

Cigarette beetles are one of the more common pests that invade homes and businesses. Although they aren't known to transmit diseases, these tiny beetles are destructive and annoying. The number of bugs in your home can grow quite large when you have an infestation. Here are things to know about cigarette beetles and how to eliminate them.

Cigarette Beetles Are Prolific Breeders

One reason these pests are so destructive is that the females can lay scores of eggs. Your home and pantry can be overrun with the beetles in a short time as the eggs develop and become adults that lay even more eggs.

The Larvae Destroy Stored Food And Belongings

These pests are the most destructive when they are larvae. During that stage, the pests bore through cardboard and plastic sacks to get at stored cereal, beans, and other packaged foods.

They're called cigarette beetles because they are nuisance pests for the tobacco industry and they destroy stored tobacco and cigarettes. However, they also invade pet food, book bindings, furniture, and other stored food.

Cleaning Eliminates Some Beetles

Cigarette beetles start to become active around dusk. You may want to bring out the vacuum then and suck up bugs you can see. You should also go through your stored food supplies and examine boxes for bugs. You may need to throw out cereal, stored grains, and other foods even if the boxes were never opened. Washing down the cabinets may be necessary to get rid of the adults and larvae.

Your pest control company may want you to clean your pantry and cover your food before they apply treatments. You'll probably see the adults if they're present. The destructive larvae are more difficult to see since they're tiny and white so they aren't easy to notice. Even if you don't see the larvae or adult bugs, you may notice holes in cardboard boxes that indicate the pests are active.

Pest Control Services Can Eliminate An Infestation

Pest control services for cigarette beetles vary depending on how bad your infestation has become. The pest control company might use growth inhibitors or pesticide treatments to kill off the pests. An infestation that's severe may require tenting and fumigating your home. Heat treatments used for bed bugs may not be effective since cigarette beetles need high temperatures for much longer than is used for the usual pest control treatments.

Traps Monitor For A Return Of The Beetles

Once you've had your food destroyed by cigarette beetles, you probably never want to see the pests again. You can use cigarette beetle traps for monitoring. These are treated with pheromones to attract the male beetles. By checking the traps regularly, you'll be alerted when the pests come back, and you can tell how bad the infestation is so you can call your pest control company right away for help.

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