CONTROL OF INSECTS IN TOBACCO 6 



THE CIGARETTE BEETLE 



The cigarette beetle is cosmopolitan in distribution, having been car- 

 ried over the world by commerce in tobacco and other materials. 

 Specimens have been described from Tutankamen's tomb in Egypt, 

 which would seem to indicate an African or Asiatic origin for the 

 species. At least it was present in Egypt more than 3,500 years ago. 

 It was recorded as a pest of cured tobacco in North Carolina as early 

 as 1886. 



Description and Life History 



The adult cigarette beetle is brown and less than y s inch long. The 

 head is drawn under the body when the beetle is at rest and usually 

 when it is dead. The egg is pearly white, elongate, and about y 50 

 inch in length. It is fragile, but has a waxy shell which is very re- 

 sistant to drying. The larvae, or grubs, are tiny when first hatched, 

 but grow to a length of about % 6 inch. They are grayish white and 

 covered thinly with fine hairs, which appear to be light brown on 

 mature larvae. When full grown they transform into inactive pupae, 

 and later emerge as adult beetles. 



In the summer as few as 7 days may be spent in the pupal stage, 

 but in cooler weather 14 to 18 days may be required. The adult 

 beetles may live for 3 or 4 weeks, and one female may lay from 75 to 

 100 eggs. Most of the eggs are laid during the first 10 days, the 

 heaviest deposition occurring within the first 2 or 3 days after emer- 

 gence. The eggs hatch in 6 to 10 days, and the larvae mature in 30 

 to 50 days. In the summer the incubation period is approximately 7 

 days; the larval stage 35 days; the pupal stage 8 days; the period 

 prior to emergence, mating, and egg laying 6 days — total life cycle 

 56 days. The four stages of this insect are shown in figure 1. 



Fjgure 1. — Stages of the cigarette beetle: A, Eggs; B, full-grown larva; C, pupa; 

 D, adult. Greatly enlarged. 



