Host suitability for mass multiplication of the cigarette beetle, Lasioderma serricorne (F.) (Coleoptera: Anobiidae) under stored conditions

Abstract

The cigarette beetle (Lasioderma serricorne F.) is a serious pest of stored turmeric as they can infest a wide range of stored products. An experiment was conducted to determine the development of the cigarette beetle on different food sources viz., turmeric rhizomes, turmeric powder, coriander powder, chilli powder, wheat flour, dried yeast, wheat four + 5% dried yeast, chewing leaf tobacco, cigar tobacco and broiler feed. The developmental period of the beetle viz., incubation period, larval period and pupal period, was recorded. Adult emergence at 1st, 2nd and 3rd generations were also calculated. The results revealed that, dried yeast was significantly better than all other treatments evaluated whereas chewing leaf tobacco and cigar tobacco were consistently served as a poor substrate for the development of the cigarette beetle. They had the ability to complete its lifecycle from the egg stage to the adult stage on all the different food sources.