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a Q? to all Seasoned aficionado about beetles

Retircs1Retircs1 Posts: 453 ✭
in Cigar 101
I hear a lot of talk about this cigar beetle that is found from time to time in some sticks or inside our humidors. As a Chef and dealing with the storing of many different types of Grain/ flour, could it be that the larval of this cigar beetle is in bedded in the tobacco Leaf before harvesting?. and is dormant until the temperature in out humidors reach over the 70+ range for a period of time that causes them to hatch? This is a common thing when storing grains if not in a cool dry well ventilated space and that space reaches temps 75 to 80 plus that the eggs of the "Saw tooth weevil" a common grain bug that shows up from time to time. I am just asking to get your thoughts on bugs :)

Comments

  • onestrangeoneonestrangeone Posts: 2,441 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Yes, this is exactly what happens. Although my understanding is that infestation can happen at almost any part of the process as well.
  • CharlieHeisCharlieHeis Posts: 8,601 ✭✭✭✭✭
    This is why I started freezing my cigars. Right from the mailbox to the freezer for a few days, per the recommendation of catfishbluezz.
  • Retircs1Retircs1 Posts: 453 ✭
    Well I guess if I ever have this problem I will just have to smoke them out lol :)
  • The3StogiesThe3Stogies Posts: 2,652 ✭✭✭✭
    Retircs1:
    Well I guess if I ever have this problem I will just have to smoke them out lol :)
    +1
    Can't beetle em, smoke em
  • Retircs1Retircs1 Posts: 453 ✭
    now that is something I was thinking about too pre-freeze before smoking them or placing in my humidor. the issue I was concerned with was the added moister that the cigar has in it that prevents it from drying out. when you place it in the freezer do you temper your sticks before putting it in your humidor?
  • Retircs1Retircs1 Posts: 453 ✭
    lol yes sir :) smoke em lol hahaha
  • Retircs1Retircs1 Posts: 453 ✭
    now that is something I was thinking about too pre-freeze before smoking them or placing in my humidor. the issue I was concerned with was the added moister that the cigar has in it that prevents it from drying out. when you place it in the freezer do you temper your sticks before putting it in your humidor? CS1 USN retired " Can't trust a skinny Cook"
  • Bob_LukenBob_Luken Posts: 10,833 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Three to four days at zero degrees fahrenheit Seems to do the trick for me. I did a little bit of google research and it takes longer at higher temps and it's quicker at lower temps but I also added a day for good measure. Also ziplock bag the sticks and remove excess air from the ziplock. Also get a weather thermometer to determine that your freezer is cold enough. ( Don't use your digital hygrometer.) The point of all this is to kill ALL the stages of life for the tobacco beetle. Eggs, larvae, and adult. It's harder to kill the eggs so it takes a bit longer to be sure they are all dead. The point is you don't have to worry about beetles afterward. Even if your coolidors aren't all that cool. My coolers are usually around 78 F. That would be warm enough to worry but I don't because I freeze them little bastards ahead of time. Tobacco beetles generally need temps to be 70 F and above before they will be willing to move about. (that's one reason why wine fridges are nice because the temps are kept at low enough temps that even if beetles, larvae or eggs are present, they remain dormant until higher temps allow them to awaken and live again.)
  • Retircs1Retircs1 Posts: 453 ✭
    lol yes kill em all and let the ash sort them out :)
  • kuzi16kuzi16 Posts: 14,633 ✭✭✭✭
    Retircs1:
    lol yes kill em all and let the ash sort them out :)
    old joke that if you ever hear a cigar "crackle" as you smoke it is because you just burned some beetle eggs.
    Kuzi's Forum Links Page
  • Retircs1Retircs1 Posts: 453 ✭
    LOL that's a good too :)
  • AshMeAshMe Posts: 318 ✭
    Yeah. A lot of people freeze their sticks as soon as they get them, preventative measures I guess. But, has anyone here actually GOTTEN tobacco beetle infestations yet? Because I heard that manufacturers are now vacuum fumigating the cigars before shipping them. Anyone know if thats true? I have not seen any bugs yet so I haven't frozen any of my 'gars yet assuming they are fumigated. I guess the day I do will be the day I pre-freeze.
    "Do you smoke? Mind if I do?"  - Genie, in Aladdin. 
  • danielzreyesdanielzreyes Posts: 8,771 ✭✭✭✭✭
    AshMe:
    Yeah. A lot of people freeze their sticks as soon as they get them, preventative measures I guess. But, has anyone here actually GOTTEN tobacco beetle infestations yet? Because I heard that manufacturers are now vacuum fumigating the cigars before shipping them. Anyone know if thats true? I have not seen any bugs yet so I haven't frozen any of my 'gars yet assuming they are fumigated. I guess the day I do will be the day I pre-freeze.
    Yes, it's not pretty
    "It's plume, bro. Nothing to worry about. Got any Opus?" The suppose to be DZR
  • Bob_LukenBob_Luken Posts: 10,833 ✭✭✭✭✭
    AshMe:
    Yeah. A lot of people freeze their sticks as soon as they get them, preventative measures I guess. But, has anyone here actually GOTTEN tobacco beetle infestations yet? Because I heard that manufacturers are now vacuum fumigating the cigars before shipping them. Anyone know if thats true? I have not seen any bugs yet so I haven't frozen any of my 'gars yet assuming they are fumigated. I guess the day I do will be the day I pre-freeze.
    I've been serious about cigars for a couple of..............Two and a half years? Three? Time flies! Anyhoo,....Not that long. I consider myself unlucky when it comes to tobacco beetles. But in a way,......lucky also in that each occasion has been confined to a small number of cigars. I've been up close and personal with them three separate times. (Never from ccom.) Some guys go for years without a sighting. I have learned how to freeze. I've also learned how to relax and not worry about the cigars I have not frozen. (I do keep them segregated.) There's good info available online about the beetles and how to freeze them. But if anyone has a collection that is less than 250 cigars, I would advise that you simply examine them carefully and often. If you get beetles you will probably catch them very early and you can consider freezing at that point.

    As far as vacuum fumigation in the industry goes, I don't know exactly what that means but it sounds like something I don't want them doing to my cigars. Freezing? I've heard that that's common. But from what I can tell they (the manufacturers) don't come right out and tell you exactly what they are doing about the beetles. I don't see any bug-free guarantees. (That should tell you they can't totally eradicate them with great certainty.) And I'm sure they are not all taking the same precautions. So once you throw your sticks in from all your different sources, they all share the same risk. Freezing takes the guesswork out of it. Also wine fridges work well by keeping the temps down low enough to keep beetles larvae and eggs dead or at least dormant.
  • FireRobFireRob Posts: 1,890 ✭✭✭
    AshMe:
    But, has anyone here actually GOTTEN tobacco beetle infestations yet?
    I would not say infestation, but I have had one cigar show up from a trade/bomb that was attacked by a little ***. I first noticed the dust in the cello then I could see a couple holes in the wrapper and I finally found a hole in the cello. None of the other cigars in that package were affected just the one. I also freeze 99% of every cigar that I get before it goes in a humi or cooler. I probably still have a few in one of my humidors that were from my start up when I did not freeze and I have a box of Stradivarius that I did not freeze.
  • catfishbluezzcatfishbluezz Posts: 7,000 ✭✭✭
    danielzreyes:
    AshMe:
    Yeah. A lot of people freeze their sticks as soon as they get them, preventative measures I guess. But, has anyone here actually GOTTEN tobacco beetle infestations yet? Because I heard that manufacturers are now vacuum fumigating the cigars before shipping them. Anyone know if thats true? I have not seen any bugs yet so I haven't frozen any of my 'gars yet assuming they are fumigated. I guess the day I do will be the day I pre-freeze.
    Yes, it's not pretty
    Me to, twice or more, no telling. Everything gets frozen for a week...
  • kuzi16kuzi16 Posts: 14,633 ✭✭✭✭
    AshMe:
    But, has anyone here actually GOTTEN tobacco beetle infestations yet?
    not me... but like others here, i take precautions. most of my precautions is keeping my house cool. I freeze any cigar that is suspect.
    Kuzi's Forum Links Page
  • catfishbluezzcatfishbluezz Posts: 7,000 ✭✭✭
    for what it is worth, all of the suspects were nica or DR...
  • kuzi16kuzi16 Posts: 14,633 ✭✭✭✭
    catfishbluezz:
    for what it is worth, all of the suspects were nica or DR...
    country has little to do with it in my mind. how the factory handles tobacco has more to do with it.

    some take more care than others.
    Kuzi's Forum Links Page
  • catfishbluezzcatfishbluezz Posts: 7,000 ✭✭✭
    kuzi16:
    catfishbluezz:
    for what it is worth, all of the suspects were nica or DR...
    country has little to do with it in my mind. how the factory handles tobacco has more to do with it.

    some take more care than others.
    Of course, I think a lot of people associate it with the CC world though. I have gotten them from Plasencia, MATASA, General, ETDB in Miami, and Camacho to name a few. That covers a lot of ground really. Habanos freezes all their boxes after the wet pack, so they claim any damage done by beetles is done before the freeze, and will honor any box full as they claim less then 1%. Makes sense honestly. The NC world is much worse off, as I have heard from many folks in the industry, the amount of care put into the aging process after rolling varies widely and probably leans on the bad side for the majority.
  • RhamlinRhamlin Posts: 9,050 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Retircs1:
    I hear a lot of talk about this cigar beetle that is found from time to time in some sticks or inside our humidors. As a Chef and dealing with the storing of many different types of Grain/ flour, could it be that the larval of this cigar beetle is in bedded in the tobacco Leaf before harvesting?. and is dormant until the temperature in out humidors reach over the 70+ range for a period of time that causes them to hatch? This is a common thing when storing grains if not in a cool dry well ventilated space and that space reaches temps 75 to 80 plus that the eggs of the "Saw tooth weevil" a common grain bug that shows up from time to time. I am just asking to get your thoughts on bugs :)
    Exactly right. It's my understanding all cigars have the eggs in them. That's something I hope I'm wrong about.
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