Lasioderma serricorne

SPECIES: Lasioderma serricorne (Order Coleoptera)

COMMON NAME: Tobacco beetle

SIZE: 2.5 to 3 mm

LIFECYCLE: Tobacco beetles mate almost immediately, just two days after their birth as an adult, and two days later, the female deposits her eggs (from 45-120). The reproduction of this foodstuff-infesting beetle takes place during the warmer months of the year. The female Lasioderma serricone lays her eggs directly on the substrate of food intended for the nourishment of the larvae. The larvae of the Tobacco beetle are very similar to those of woodlice and, like them, they dig tunnels with a perfectly circular cross-section into the food.

FEATURES: the body is yellow-brown, tending towards red. The elytra are smooth, covered lightly with hair. The antennae are jagged, and the most visible feature that helps us recognise the species. The Tobacco beetle larva looks like a small white worm, with a curved body covered with bristles. It has three pairs of small thoracic legs, and shading ranges from white to yellowish, with a light brown head and black mandibles.

HABITAT: the Tobacco beetle is tropical in origin. As a result of trade, it has become one of the most common and damaging insect pests of foodstuffs, warehouses, and supermarkets.

DIET: dried fruit, tobacco, textiles, flour, spices, plant seeds, chamomile, dried fish, vegetable fibres, animal fur.

DAMAGE: The larvae are able to pierce almost all kinds of packaging and wrapping with ease, thanks to their strong masticatory mouthparts, penetrating not just food but also cigars, cigarettes, and filter paper sachets.

I want to sterminate it