Lasioderma serricorne (Coleoptera: Anobiidae) and Ephestia spp. (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae): pests of tobacco and tobacco products

During the storage period of dry tobacco, two groups of insects cause damage to tobacco, Lasioderma serricorne Fabricius, 1792 (Coleoptera: Anobiidae) and Ephestia Guenée, 1845 (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) popularly known as beetle and tobacco moth. The scope of the study was to diagnose insect pests, in addition to characterizing and calculating the level of quantitative damage caused by the action of L. serricorne and Ephestia spp. in tobacco. Dry tobacco leaves and cigarettes were exposed to larvae of both insects, and the respective damages were evaluated and characterized. The damage level per area was measured using unprocessed tobacco leaves. To determine the level of consumption (g), an artificial diet was used. To complete its development, each larva of Ephestia spp. consumed an average of 0.39 g of the rearing diet, and larvae of L. serricorne had an average consumption of 0.10 g. The damage caused by these insects strongly affects the economic value of tobacco and makes it unsuitable for further manufacture and export of its products. Therefore, knowledge about the damage and its quantification can help in the search for the best management strategies for these insect pests.