Some aspects of the biology of the tobacco beetle, Lasioderma serricorne (F), (Coleoptera : Anobiidae)

Abstract

Since about 1866 the "tobacco beetle," Lasioderma serricorne, has been recognized as a pest of considerable economic importance. In addition to cured tobacco, the larval stage attacks a great variety of other materials of both plant and animal origin. Much of the work done on the biology of this beetle is fragmentary and not precisely recorded. The present author has aimed at correlating as much of the available valid information as possible and supplementing it with original records. Further, most previous investigations have centred on control rather than bionomics. But a sound knowledge of bionomics is needed as a basis for an effective scheme or control. Therefore, as research had to be limited in some way, in this paper attention has been paid primarily to bionomics (with some relevant morphology). The section on control comprises only a few original observations, and this aspect offers a wide field for future research.