Pests don't wait. Protect your home today.
Cigarette Beetle (Lasioderma serricorne)
Identify it, prevent it, and know when to call. A South Florida guide from Pro-Spray.
$50 OFF your first service + FREE inspectionNew customers · No code needed · No expiration
What Is a Cigarette Beetle?
Named for its fondness for stored tobacco, the cigarette beetle infests a wide range of dry goods in homes, warehouses and pet stores. The larvae can bore through some packaging. Adults are strong fliers and are often found near windows.
Cigarette Beetle vs Drugstore Beetle
They look very similar. The cigarette beetle has smooth wing covers and saw-toothed antennae, while the drugstore beetle has rows of grooves on its wing covers and antennae ending in a three-segment club. Treatment is the same for both.
The South Florida Season
Indoors, cigarette beetles breed all year, but warm months speed them up, and adults are most noticeable flying to windows in late spring and summer. Garages and pantries without steady air conditioning tend to have the worst problems, especially where pet food or birdseed is stored in bulk.
Life Cycle
Females lay eggs in or on food. The curved, fuzzy larvae feed for weeks and can chew through some packaging to reach new food. They pupate in a small cocoon, and the adults then fly toward windows and lights to mate and spread to new products.
Look-alikes and How to Tell Them Apart
- Drugstore beetle: grooved wing covers and a three-segment club on each antenna.
- Sawtoothed grain beetle: flat and slender with saw-like teeth on the sides.
- Flour beetles: flat and shiny reddish-brown, not humped.
- Carpet beetles: rounder, with mottled patterns of white, brown and yellow.
Where They Hide in South Florida Homes
In spices (paprika and chili powder are favorites), dry pet food and treats, tobacco, dried flowers and potpourri, cereals and nuts, and herbal teas; on pantry shelves and in cracks; and at windows where the adults gather.
When to Call a Pro
Call if beetles keep appearing at windows or in the pantry after cleanup, or if you can't find which product is infested. Spice racks and pet food bins are the first places we check.
Signs of Cigarette Beetles
- Tiny brown beetles flying to windows or lights
- Small round holes in packages of spices or pet food
- Beetles in dried flower arrangements or potpourri
Is it dangerous?
- Contamination
Contaminated food and stored products; adults can fly to lights.
Prevention Tips
- Store spices and pet food in airtight containers.
- Toss old spices and dried decorations you no longer use.
- Clean shelves and vacuum crumbs.
- Inspect new packages before putting them away.
How Pro-Spray Treats Cigarette Beetles
We locate the infested items (spices and pet food are frequent sources), treat pantry cracks and crevices with food removed, and set traps to monitor flying adults. Our Bug Free Guarantee: If pests come back between visits, so do we, at no extra cost.
New customer offer
$50 OFF your first service
+ FREE inspection
Then stay protected with our $125 quarterly pest control plan, about $42/month.
New customers only. No code needed and no expiration. Mention this offer when you call or text.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do I see beetles at my window?
Can they get into sealed packages?
Are cigarette beetles harmful?
Reviewed October 2026 by Pro-Spray's family-run team
Pests don't wait.
Protect your home today.
Get $50 OFF your first pest service and a FREE inspection & estimate. Ongoing protection is $125 quarterly (about $42/month), with no contracts and no cancellation fees.
Prefer to text or email? Text us · info@prospraypest.com