If you live in a humid climate, the tobacco beetle is a bug you need to know about. In this post you will learn how to avoid them on gourds and how to get rid of them.
For many gourd artists living in humid environments, a villain lurks within many gourds you pick up and consider taking home for artwork. Infected gourds often even make it to a gallery where someone will pay top price for a gourd that may become their worst enemy.
In this photo, you can see the minuscule holes in the skin of a gourd. The holes are usually about the size of a pinhole. Accompanying these tiny holes is often a trail of powdery loose gourd dust. This is the disastrous work of thecigarette beetle, cigar beetle, or tobacco beetle. Lasioderma serricorne is the scientific name for our villain.
What does a the Tobacco Beetle look like?
The beetles are small, measuring about 2 to 3 mm (about 1/8 of an inch), and are reddish brown. They have a rounded, oval shape, and the head is often concealed by the pronotum (plate covering the first region of the thorax) when the beetle is seen from above.
The elytra (wing covers) are covered with fine hairs. When disturbed, they often pull in their legs, tuck their head, and lay motionless. They prefer to reside in dark or dimly lit cracks, nooks, and crevices but become active and fly readily in bright, open areas, probably in an attempt to find refuge. They are most active at dusk and will continue activity through the night. Adults do not feed but will drink liquids.
Our beetles look almost identical to drugstore beetles. Still, the antennae of the tobacco beetle are serrated (like the teeth on a saw.)
The Tobacco Beetle’s Life Cycle
The beetle life cycle length depends highly on temperature and the food source. Still, it usually takes 40 to 90 days. Females lay 10 to 100 eggs in the food, and the larvae emerge in six to 10 days. After feeding for five to 10 weeks, they go through four to six instars; the larvae excavate a protective cell in the feeding substrate or build a protective cocoon from bits of food and debris. Pupation takes from one to three weeks.
If you scrap through the hole in the gourd, you find the remains of the larvae. Here is our ferrous eater.
After emerging, the adults live for one to four weeks. In warmer climates, there may be five or six overlapping generations. Development periods of 26 days at 37°C and 120 days at 20°C have been reported. Development is incomplete at 17°C, and adults die when exposed to 4°C for six days.
These beetles are a real menace to cigars stored in a humidor.
Here is a video explaining how the destruction happens to the tobacco, much like what happens to the interior of your gourd.
What Are Tobacco Beetles Eating?
The tobacco beetle larvae heartily consume what is in their path. These beetles will damage other things in your house or studio. Look for them in household items, including cereal, cocoa, coffee beans, flour, herbs, rice, nuts, spices, dates, raisins, and other products typically stored in kitchen cabinets and pantries. Dried floral arrangements, potpourri, furniture stuffing, objects made of papier-mâché, and more are also susceptible.
Finding the Source of Infection
Often, what causes an outbreak of tobacco beetles is temperature-related. Most of the time, eggs are inside when you buy the gourd.
Throw out any damaged gourds and clean the location. If it is a big area, you may need to use chemicals. But first, scrub everything down. No bleach; this will make them go somewhere else. The best solution is to store them properly and closely monitor them. Here is a short video on some products you might look for—a big area with a problem.
Before turning to chemicals, do this first. All infested gourds should be wrapped in heavy plastic, taken outside, and thrown away. Next, check all bins, boxes, and containers for infestation. To prevent re-infestation, clean up all debris, small pieces of gourd, or dust in the surrounding area. Thoroughly vacuum and clean areas where the contaminated items were stored.
Now Deal with Protecting Your Remaining Gourds
The safest thing to do is treat all your remaining gourds before you store them again. You can use freezing or heat.
Items can be placed in the freezer (16 days at 36°F, 7 days at 25°F or 32°F for four to seven days) to kill all stages. Place gourds in a plastic bag to reduce condensation problems during thawing.
Heating infested material in an oven (200°F In a metal pan for two hours) is also effective. It is far easier and less damaging to treat unaltered gourds free of embellishment than to attempt to treat a finished piece of art.
Start with any new shipments by baking at 200°F for 2 hours. Place your gourds in a metal or glass baking pan or cookie sheet. If baked on a bare rack, they may catch fire. Make sure none of the gourd touches any heating element during baking.
Tips from the Survivors
Here are some comments from gourd artists who have faced our villain and have won their battle.
Early on, I lost three large, fully complete gourds to those tobacco beetles. We now grow our own, and after scrubbing them, I bake them in a 179-degree F oven for 2 hours—no more beetles.
I spoke to a bug specialist, and he told me that 2 hours at 140 degrees F would work, but my oven doesn’t go that low.
I’ve not had a recurrence, so my method works for me. My gourds are kept on open shelves in my studio until I’m ready to work on them. Anything pre-baked doesn’t come in the house.
I bake mine at 200f for 2 hours. I’m fairly vigilant about keeping work in airtight bins; even while working on them, I store them back in the bin after each workday.
Every once in a while, I re-bake if I forgot to cover the work.
The beetles are not a pest in the gourd garden and don’t go after the early stage of gourd life. I’ve only encountered them flourishing in the dried product and seen infestations in the finished artwork at shows.
Anyone creating art for a gallery or sale should pay attention to the signs. Once a piece has been completed, depending on the embellishments, it’s too late to save it, as baking or freezing would adversely affect the integrity and finishes.
How to Prevent Infection of Your Surroundings
Once you get your gourds home, treat them by freezing them or heating them to ensure that any undetected infestations are killed.
Keeping the Clean Gourds Safe
Place your gourds in well-ventilated areas that aren’t prone to moisture. Try for rooms with ceiling fans or open windows, and avoid areas like the kitchen or laundry room where humidity can reach high levels.
Elevate gourds, especially if you have heated floors. Constant heating and cooling can encourage cracking, mold, and mildew growth. Try placing them in containers that allow the air to circulate them. I have a hanging basket like the one in the last picture. It hangs near my desk with the gourds I am currently working on.
The safest bet is to keep unclean gourds outdoors.
- If you live in an area that gets chilly at night, the cool temperatures will help the gourds last longer and give you more enjoyment out of all your hard work.
Store treated gourds in airtight plastic containers
Clear containers make it easier to check for infestations. I even keep my finished decorated gourds in these containers,padded with bubble wrap.
- Another idea is to keep them in a netting and hang them in your studio.
If you are new to the gourd world and live in a moist environment, contact your state gourd society or county extension office for more information and learn what the locals recommend.
I hope this information was helpful and I would like to to hear any tips you may have on the dealing with these beetles.
Please, share your thoughts here in the comment box or share them with all the gourd artists on our Facebook Group Page.
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I live in California and we have powder post beetles here. I slosh Thompsonʻs Water Seal around the inside of a cut gourd, and wipe it around the outside of a whole gourd. Easy fix, although it is a chemical one.