Drugstore Beetle / Cigarette Beetle

Natural Habitat

Found worldwide, particularly in pantries, kitchens, warehouses, and locations where dry organic material is stored.

Diet & Feeding

A wide variety of dry stored products including flour, crackers, spices, tobacco, dried fruit, seeds, and even non-food items like book bindings and leather.

Behavior Patterns

Adults are active flyers and attracted to light; they do not feed. Larvae are the primary stage that consumes and contaminates food through tunneling and leaving debris. They exhibit a complete metamorphosis (egg, larva, pupa, adult).

Risks & Benefits

Primarily a household and commercial pest. Risk: They cause significant economic damage by contaminating food supplies with feces and cocoons. Benefits: None mentioned, as they are considered highly invasive pests in human environments.

Identified on: 2/16/2026