Cigarette Beetle Control

Most Effective Products

Pyrid Insecticide Aerosol
Aerosol
As low as $27.99
Flex 10-10 Insecticide
Emulsifiable Concentrate (EC)
As low as $54.99
Pro-Pest Pantry Moth & Beetle Traps
Glue Trap
As low as $7.21
Keith's Pro Tips

"During cleanup, any item which clearly has Cigarette Beetles or that you find suspicious should be discarded immediately; if there are items which you don’t wish to throw out, you can store them temporarily in a plastic bag to see if adults crawl out from the food. If 2-3 weeks pass and you do not find any adults crawling out, you can safely assume the item is not contaminated, otherwise, throw it out."

Cigarette Beetle Control: How To Get Rid of Cigarette Beetles

This page is a general Cigarette Beetle control guide. Using the products and methods suggested you will get control of Cigarette Beetles. Follow this guide and use the recommended products and we guarantee 100% control of Cigarette Beetles.

Dried stored foods are commonly at risk for being invaded by pantry pests and the same is the case for tobacco, which has a bug that specifically targets dried tobacco leaves, cigars, cigarettes, or chewing tobacco. That bug is the Cigarette Beetle, which has invaded human dwellings and food storage areas for a very long time.

Oval-shaped, brown in color and reaching up to 1/8th of an inch long, Cigarette Beetles closely resemble the Drugstore Beetles. Despite their name, Cigarette Beetles are not limited to just tobacco products as they will invade packaged foods and grains as well. Cigarette Beetles feed constantly, eating seeds, seasonings like pepper and paprika, and dried flower arrangements.

Cigarette beetles commit most of their damage while they are in their larvae stage. The Female cigarette beetle can lay up to 100 eggs on the food sources where they gather at and when hatched, the larvae become hungry insatiable destroyers. Adult Cigarette Beetles are skilled flyers and can come into the house and begin creating havoc in pantries.

Cigarette beetles can be tough to control with insecticides because they are also known to eat pyrethrum which is the main active ingredient found in a variety of pesticides. If you’re concerned by an invasion of Cigarette Beetles, our DIY treatment guide below can help with recommendations of professional-grade products as well as helpful how-to advice to rid these pests once and for all.

Identification

Cigarette beetles are a common pantry pest that is less than 1/8th of an inch and length and are reddish-brown in color. Adult cigarette beetles have the ability to fly and are drawn to areas where there is light.

Cigarette beetles are often mistaken to be the Drugstore Beetle due to their oval shape. If you were to closely observe the two, you would see some obvious traits that can be used to help differentiate between the two beetle species.

The first is that the Cigarette Beetle has more of a humpback shape in comparison to the Drugstore Beetle. Secondly, when examining the wings of the Drugstore Beetle, one would notice deep grooves or pits while the Cigarette Beetle will have wings that appear to be smooth. Cigarette Beetles also have more hairs on their body than the drugstore beetle which gives them a more fuzzy looking appearance.

Use the image and description above to help you to properly identify the Cigarette Beetle. If you are not totally sure, contact us and we will try to assist you with proper identification.

Inspection

After properly identifying the Cigarette beetle, an inspection is necessary to determine where Cigarette Beetles are infesting. During the inspection, you will focus on finding these problem "hotspots" where Cigarette Beetles are commonly found.

Where To Inspect

Begin by looking in areas where food goods are stored. Check the cabinets, shelves, and pantries where all the stored food goods are stored. Check kitchens and garages. Inspect in every package of grains, cereals, starches, flour, spices, herbs, pasta, and even pet food packaging.

inspection cigarette beetles

What To Look For

You're looking for contaminated food products. Inspect in all the places mentioned above. The contaminated packages will have larvae and adult Cigarette Beetles inside of them crawling inside the grain, cereal, or food product. Once you have found a contaminated food product, this is where you will apply the treatment. 

Treatment

Once you have confirmed Cigarette Beetle activity, it is time to begin treatment. Remember to read all product labels and follow the application instructions on these labels and stay safe by wearing personal protective equipment (PPE).

The best method of controlling Cigarette Beetle infestations in your pantry is discarding all your stored dried food products, performing a deep cleaning, then applying Pyrid Aerosol and Flex 10-10 Insecticide to kill adult Cigarette Beetles that survive cleanup. Finally, you should place Pro-Pest Pantry Moth and Beetle Traps to capture any straggler Cigarette Beetles.

Step 1 - Preliminary Cleanup and Vacuuming

cigarette beetles preparation

Start by getting rid of all the food goods in the areas where the infestation took place. Investigate your food items to locate the main food item or items they are found in and are eating. Most Cigarette Beetle adults will emerge from cocoons which are located very close to where larvae have eaten. If you have discovered adult Cigarette Beetles in the pantry then you most likely have some type of cereal, spice, flour, cookie, grain, bean or some other item which are actively eating

What we recommend is to initially clear out everything you have stored in your cabinets and toss them out so you leave nothing to chance. This is also a timesaving measure or else you would have to go through every single item to check if they have been infested which can be quite time-consuming. When checking boxes and containers, be sure to inspect them carefully for white worm-like larvae, adults and empty cocoons (empty cocoons is evidence that adults have hatched).

Once everything had been tossed, vacuum your pantry shelves. Focus on crevices and corners to make sure that active larvae and eggs are removed. You should then take soapy warm water, dunk a rag in it and wipe the shelves, cupboards, and surfaces.

Step 2 - Treat Cracks and Crevices with Pyrid Aerosol

Pyrid application in pantry crack

Pyrid Aerosol is a synthetic pyrethroid insecticide that is used as a flushing agent and is effective as a crack and crevice treatment inside pantries. Cigarette Beetles have a tendency to hide in small crevices and lay eggs, so Pyrid will help to flush them out and kills them with contact.

Pyrid comes with a convenient crack-and-crevice applicator tip that helps to more accurately spray the product into cracks and crevices. To use, remove the white applicator from the top of the can and replace it with the red straw tip applicator.

Shake well and then spray the Pyrid along the length of crack and crevices of your pantry shelving in quick bursts usually at about 1 second of spray per foot. Pyrid will flush pests out of these areas. Pyrid Aerosol doesn't leave behind a residual but will knockdown Cigarette beetles quickly.

Step 3 - Apply Flex 10-10

Spraying Flex 10-10 Along Crevice in Pantry

After applying Pyrid to your cracks and crevices, follow up with an application of Flex 10-10 Insecticide. Flex 10-10 is a pyrethroid insecticide that has a residual effect of up to 30 days that will continue to kill Cigarette Beetles long after you have applied.

Use Flex 10-10 as a general surface spray to spot treat the pantry shelves. Start by diluting the appropriate amount of Flex 10-10 into a pump sprayer. Calculate the square footage of your pantry (length x width = square footage) and based on your calculations mix the Flex 10-10 at a rate of 3.2 fl. oz. per gallon to treat 750 sq. ft. of surface area. For heavy infestations, use 6.4 fl. oz. per gallon. Fill the sprayer with a half-gallon of water, add the appropriate amount of Flex 10-10, then fill the rest of the way with water and shake the sprayer.

Apply the Flex 10-10 as a low-pressure fan spray along the back and side edges of the pantry shelving where the shelf meets the wall. Keep all people and pets away from the treated area until dry. Once the Flex 10-10 is totally dry, your pantry can be restocked.

Step 3: Pro-Pest Pantry Moth and Beetle Traps

Pro-Pest Traps on a Pantry Shelf

Pro-Pest Pantry Moth and Beetle Traps are glue traps infused with pantry pest pheromones that will lure unsuspecting Cigarette Beetles to the trap. They can be set on shelves or hung to capture many different crawling or flying insects.

Pro-Pest Traps will stay effective for at least 3 months and will cover 300 sq. ft. of area. To use the Pro-Pest Traps, simply peel off the wax paper fold them into a tent or leave them flat and place them in the areas where the infestation took place.

Place the trap on the pantry shelving where it won’t get smashed and will be left generally undisturbed. For added convenience, these traps can also be hung in pantries away from food. 

Prevention

Once you have achieved control of the Cigarette Beetle infestation, you will need to carry out preventative measures to ensure they don't make a return to your pantry.

  • Start by regularly checking food packages before you buy them. Inspect the packages for possible tears, holes, or punctures. Many times these packages will already have an infestation inside.
  • Also, get in the habit of taking out the food products from their original packaging and putting them into tight-fitting plastic containers.
  • Take actions to prevent excess clutter in your pantries. If you buy just enough food for a week, you won't have tons of products sitting for months without being used and will block the possibility of creating an infestation.
  • Remember to put every food product into plastic containers. By doing this you will prevent Cigarette Beetles from infesting, and might also isolate a current infestation of a product so that it does affect other food products.
  • Finally, you can use Pro-Pest traps throughout the year to monitor and control infestations before they happen.

Key Takeaways

  • Cigarette beetles are a pantry invading insect known for infesting tobacco materials but they can also infest non-tobacco products.
  • To achieve control of Cigarette Beetles, you will need to thoroughly clean up your pantry and discard infested items. Once that is done, follow up with an application of Novacide Aerosol and Pro-Pest Pantry Moth and Beetle Traps.
  • Remember that without enacting preventative measures, you might suffer from another infestation. Get in the habit of putting all food products in plastic containers, and also inspect packaging before buying.
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