Servicing All of Palm Beach & Broward Counties
Appearance:
Cigarette beetles are shiny and reddish-brown in color. They have a rounded, oval shape and the head is often concealed by the pronotum when the beetle is viewed from above. This beetle looks very similar to a drugstore beetle, but can be distinguished by its smooth wing covers that lack the puncture marks found on a drugstore beetle and its serrated antenna.
Size:
Cigarette beetles are quite small, measuring only about 1/10-inch in length.
Behavior:
Cigarette beetles are associated with processed foods of all kinds. The length of the cigarette beetle life cycle is highly dependent on temperature and the food source, but usually takes 40 to 90 days. Females lay 30 to 40 eggs over a period of weeks in a stored tobacco or dried food product.
Cigarette beetles are external feeders (the larvae develop outside of whole seeds). They prefer to reside in dark cracks and crevices and are most active at night. They are also strong fliers.
Habitat:
Cigarette beetles are often found infesting dried tobacco in warehouses and processing facilities, but are not commonly found in actual cigarettes or cigars. They will infest common food products such as cereals, pet foods, nuts, raisins, and seeds.
Damage Caused:
Cigarette beetles are the most damaging pest to stored tobacco, but they are also a major pest of many stored food products. These products are contaminated by the presence of beetles, larvae, pupae, cocoons, and insect parts. Cigarette beetle larvae have also been found to feed on the stuffing inside upholstered furniture.
Control:
If you are a South Florida resident and you are suspicious that these bettles may be evolving in or around your home or business call Protective Pest Control 1-877-200-4333
The rice weevil (Sitophilus oryzae) is a serious stored product pest which attacks several economically important crops, including wheat, rice, and maize.
Description
The adults are around 2 mm long with a long snout. The body color appears to be brown/black, on close examination however, four orange/red spots are arranged in a cross on the wing covers.
Biology
Adult rice weevils survive for up to 2 years. Females lay 2-6 eggs per day and up to 300 eggs over their lifetime. The female uses strong mandibles to chew a hole into a grain kernel after which she deposits a single egg within the hole and seals the hole with secretions from her ovipositor. The larva develops within the grain, hollowing it out while feeding. It then pupates within the grain kernel and emerges 2–4 days after eclosion.
Male S. orzyae produce an aggregation pheromone to which males and females are drawn . A synthetic version is available which attracts rice weevils, maize weevils and grain weevils. Females produce a pheromone which attracts only males .
Control:
If you are a South Florida resident and you are suspicious that these pests may be evolving in or around your home or business call Protective Pest Control 1-877-200-4333
