UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



jt^W^LrL. 



BULLETIN No. 737 



Contribution from the Bureau of Entomology 

 L. O. HOWARD, Chief 



Washington, D. C. 



PROFESSIONAL PAPER 



March 17, 1919 



THE TOBACCO BEETLE: AN IMPORTANT PEST 

 IN TOBACCO PRODUCTS. 



By G. A. Runner, Entomological Assistant. 

 (With technical descriptions of coleopterous larvae by Adam G. Boving.) 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 

 A pest in cured and manufactured tobacco; its 



common names 1 



The character of its injury 2 



Classification and synonymy 4 



Food substances of the tobacco beetle 5 



Food habits of beetles related to the tobacco 



beetle 7 



Losses due to the tobacco beetle 7 



Distribution and dissemination 9 



Origin and history 10 



Economic history 11 



Description of stages 12 



Life history and habits 14 



Seasonal history 26 



Insects likely to be mistaken for the tobacco 



beetle 27 



Natural control 30 



Remedial measures 37 



Preventive measures 53 



Summary and recommendations 68 



Bibliography 69 



A PEST IN CURED AND MANUFACTURED TOBACCO; ITS COMMON 



NAMES. 



The tobacco beetle or " cigarette beetle," Lasioderma serricorne 

 Fabricius, which feeds and lives mainly in dried vegetable products, 

 is by far the most destructive pest with which manufacturers of or 

 dealers in tobacco or tobacco products have to contend. It is present 

 at times in practically all warehouses, cigar and tobacco factories, 

 and retail or wholesale establishments where cured leaf tobacco or 

 manufactured tobacco is handled or stored. 



This beetle is now known under several names. " Tobacco beetle," 

 " cigarette beetle," " tobacco bug," " tobacco flea," and " tobacco flea- 

 beetle" are the terms most commonly used in referring to it. The 



Note. — The author, Mr. G. A. Runner, was transferred from Southern Field Crop Insect 

 Investigations to Deciduous Fruit Insect Investigations on May 21, 1917, 



75257 °— 19— Bull, 737- — J 1 



