[8] The primary food source for this species includes the stored commodities they infest, such as spices, seeds, rice, cereals, and most notably, dried tobacco leaves
This symbiotic relationship allows these beetles to feed on a wide range of materials including dried foods, grains, seeds, pharmaceuticals, spices, hay, dried fruit, powdered milk, nuts, animal feed, pet food, and many other organic materials
Given the size of the bundles in which these products arrive, the beetles may be living, hatching and growing inside the product for quite a while before being discovered
If an infestation is suspected in homes, the focus will be on finding and discarding infested materials