Cigarette Beetle / Drugstore Beetle

Natural Habitat

Found worldwide in pantries, kitchens, warehouses, and locations where dried botanical products are stored.

Diet & Feeding

Polyphagous; they consume a wide variety of dried plant materials including spices, grains, flour, dried fruits, tobacco, and even non-food items like leather or books.

Behavior Patterns

They are active fliers and are attracted to light. They undergo complete metamorphosis; the larvae do the most damage by tunneling through food sources.

Risks & Benefits

They are major pests of stored products, causing significant economic loss through contamination and consumption of food supplies. They do not bite or sting humans and carry no known diseases.

Identified on: 4/29/2026