UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
| BULLETIN No. 737 § 
‘N 
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 larve by Adam G. Boving.) 
CONTENTS. 
Page. Page. 
A pest in cured and manufactured tobacco; its Descnipvlonkoustaeser seee see eee eee 12 
Covinjanora Wh A ooe coauoeonseeeeeccssaee iy | nite histonyeanGi hao itS esses eee 14 
Mheycharacter, ofits injurys..-+.-++-s22------ 27 |S easonalunistonya-peeeeere rosea oa eee 26 
Classification and Synonymy..............-. 4 | Insects likely to be mistaken for the tobacco 
Food substances of the tobacco beetle..-..-.- 5 DOG ble ree eres SUtenemte subs tae eee ae 27 
Food habits of beetles related to the tobacco Natunaliconbrolte teste 0 eee een eee 30 
LOO coc Sees Ae Sal Se sili xs See ma ae a aR ce (ol ENC MNEO GIAO AS UNC Se pee eee 37 
Losses due to the tobacco beetle...........-. Ci PEreveltivie im Casunese sae seee sees eee ees 53 
Distribution and dissemination............. 9 | Summary and recommendations............ 68 
Onicamandehistonyeace cece eeeceste eee ne LOR Bibliograplyaeecese tes 4. oe oe ee ae 69 
DCOAGINIG MGA sooo coddcosasecaeeusaassene 11 
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 
Notr.—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 1 1 
