The cigarette beetle, Lasioderma serricorne, is the principal insect pest of cured tobacco and tobacco products. The beetle occurs worldwide in warm, temperate and tropical areas and infests a broad range of animal and vegetable products. The object of this work was to determine the conditions required to achieve beetle disinfestation using different approaches. Control of beetle infestation can be achieved by treatment with heat, cold, chemical insecticides and radiation. Our studies have shown that the larval stage is the most resistant to the lethal effects of all these treatments. The degree of mortality produced by heat and cold is a function of temperature and exposure time. The mortality is more sensitive to changes in the temperature than to exposure time. Disinfestation may be achieved through the tobacco processing, if it is carried out under the appropriate conditions. Our studies show that total mortality can be achieved in several minutes during processing at a temperature of about 50.degree.C. For low temperature disinfestation, the exposure time required to achieve complete mortality of larvae varies from weeks at + 4.degree.C to hours at around -20.degree.C. The newest chemical approach is the use of methoprene in a formulation called Kabat. It is an insect growth regulator and as such represents a virtually non-toxic method of disinfestation. We have found an environment of air with a high level of carbon dioxide (60-80%) to be lethal to beetles. The exposure time needed is approximately one week. The advantage of using carbon dioxide is that it is a non-toxic disinfestation agent. Gamma radiation and electron beam radiation are both capable of disinfesting tobacco and packaged cigarettes. We have determined the radiation dose required to achieve disinfestation under specific conditions.