Beetle questions

[dpricenator]

I know what to look for and I found it, luckily. I got a 3 pack for a brother here, and he's been notified. I was searching for something to smoke the other day and decided too try one of these beauties. After cutting and lighting it i saw a nice stream of smoke coming out of the side of the stick. yep, a nice little tunnel. my heart dropped as a grabbed the cello and there was a the beetle poop right there. This cigar was in celloophane and was only in my humi for a couple of weeks. I looked at every cigar in my humi, one by one and noticed no other sign oof beetles. I put the other 2 smokes in that 3 pack in the freezer. My question is, do I need to freeze everything? Will they all come back? I am holding off on sending any cigars until I am sure. I owe two people smae packages and will get them to you, but let's make sure I'm not spreading the problem. Please advise.

Also the brother I got them from said the rest of his smokes look fine.

 

[Jwrussell]

Dave, what temp do you keep your smokes at? It's so hard to say if you have to worry about spreading the problem. Beetles are watched for and controlled fairly strictly by almost every single manufacturer nowadays. But those little bastards are always going to slip eggs through that will end up in cigars with the potential of hatching if they aren't frozen. So really, the question is pretty much always one of keeping your cigars at a safe temperature.

 

[dpricenator]

I'm using a wine cooler, that is sitting steady at less than 7o degrees all winter. I have johnson temp controller to keep it a little warmer as the fridge's highest temp is like 55 degrees. We keep our house aound 73-75 and the fridge is close to a sliding glass door, and is in a closet. I don't think the fridge has gotten warm enough to even turn on yet. If I lower the temp to 60, am I going to be cool? Will that keep any eggs from hatching?

 

[seabass]

I just found a beetle hole in a cigar that was gifted to me. The smoker was a noob so i'm sure the cigar was in less then ideal situations. The good news is that I keep my cigars in the basement that is 60-65 degrees so the beetle has been dormant. It is my understanding, and I'm no entomologist even though I took 2 classes in college, that you won't have problems with outbreaks as long as you keep your temps at or below 70...The closer to 60 degrees the better.

 

[Altercall]

The cooler the temp, the slower the aging process. 70 degrees should be fine, though lowering it to 65-68 would be a little better. Sounds like it might have been that the eggs hatched in the other person's humi or in transit. CCs are renowned for having beetle problems. You usually hear 75 degrees or above as the temp when they start to hatch.

 

[solowgregg]

Dave, If there are no other signs of damage and you don't see an exit hole in the cello I really wouldn't worry about it. I've only had one beetle in the past ohhh say four years, and even without the cello I had not additional problems. Although I have (like Jason said) always kept my humidor at the correct temp. Do you think there might be a possibility that it was in the process of hatching when you got it? Maybe whoever you got it from isn't quite so careful about these sort of things.

 

[RonC]

besides low temps, lower humidity levels will also help

 

[dpricenator]

besides low temps, lower humidity levels will also help

Yep, i am at 63-65% and will lower the temp abit to the low 60's. I believe the cigars were fairly new to the sender, so I think it was from the factory and may have hatched in transit. I'll keep an eye out. No exit hole in the cello, and only one hole in the stick.

 

[jkorp]

I just found a beetle hole in a cigar that was gifted to me. The smoker was a noob so i'm sure the cigar was in less then ideal situations. The good news is that I keep my cigars in the basement that is 60-65 degrees so the beetle has been dormant. It is my understanding, and I'm no entomologist even though I took 2 classes in college, that you won't have problems with outbreaks as long as you keep your temps at or below 70...The closer to 60 degrees the better.

This isn't quite right, I believe. Lower temps keep eggs from hatching. Once an egg has hatched, low temps are not going to stop them.

Freezing low enough will kill beetle, larva and egg. So just because my Vino is at 65, that doesn't mean I can't have a beetle problem. If I introduce a mature beetle to the environment, he will have his way with my sticks. Even a larva can mature in this environment.

My advice is too keep your temp around 65, if you can't than I'd freeze everything that comes into the house. If you find a beetle or signs of a beetle I'd freeze everything in that box as a start. Then I'd watch everything like a hawk.

Peace of mind is in just freezing it all and be done with it.


For those that don't know:

1. Seal cigars in a ziplock, whether singles or box. (i double bag mine)
2. Let sit for a day in the fridge to get acclimated to the colder temps
3. Put the package in the freezer for at least 2 days, more if your anal like me
4. Put back in fridge to thaw and reacclimate to warmer temps
5. Put the sticks back in your humi and let'em rest for a month or so.

 

[dpricenator]

I guess I'll be smoking a pipe for the next month or so. Thanks to Bill, I have a couple that I am enjoying..

 

[Jwrussell]

Dave, I really wouldn't be too worried about this. If that cigar was in cello, and there is no hole in the cello, I'd put you at 99% good. Your temps really ought to be fine where they are, especially with your RH. Isolate the sticks you received, watch them for further problems and all should be fine.

 

[EvanS]

After all of the above recommendations and all of the precautions, you still don't know what may have happened during the shipping process. Especially in summer those delivery vans and storage/distribution facilities can easily be well over 80 degrees F.

I'm no expert but I would suspect that IF there was a dormant beetle (in whatever stage) that became active during shipping, it would not neccesarily do back to dormancy after you got it home and stored the cigars in a "proper" environment.

For some reason it seems that various boards are having a bigger rash of beetle sightings than I remember form the past 2 years. I have never frozen before but I also have had 3 cigars with indicators in the past 2 months. From now on I am a confirmed freezer

 

[Jwrussell]

EvanS's got a good point. This is why it is always good to watch new stock that comes in carefully if you don't freeze. This is one reason I try to keep from getting anything shipped during the summer.

 

[EvanS]

I used to quaratine for a couple/few weeks beofre inserting into the humi. Never had any issues but these three incidents I've had recently all came from the same shipment that, oddly enough, spent a full month in quarantine because of my business travel. After the month all looked good. Little bastards must have been partying in the middle of the cigar and not even coming up for air. :stickbeat

 

[Jwrussell]

EvanS, you mentioned hearing about beetles more recently. I'm not on that many boards...any idea if you are hearing about it more in terms of Cuban or NC tobacco?

 

[dpricenator]

I have just read the other day on CF that some guys freeze everything they get nomatter where it comes from. I will be taking up this practice from here on.

 

[Jwrussell]

I hear that Dave...not why I was asking though...I'm just a wonderin' somethin'.

 

[Greg]

Does anyone have a reference as to the proper freezing temperature, and the length of time needed to kill beetles and their eggs? I've heard -20 degrees Celsius and -80 degrees Celsius. What is the industry standard?

Also, how cold do household freezers get?

 

[jkorp]

After all of the above recommendations and all of the precautions, you still don't know what may have happened during the shipping process. Especially in summer those delivery vans and storage/distribution facilities can easily be well over 80 degrees F.

I'm no expert but I would suspect that IF there was a dormant beetle (in whatever stage) that became active during shipping, it would not neccesarily do back to dormancy after you got it home and stored the cigars in a "proper" environment.

For some reason it seems that various boards are having a bigger rash of beetle sightings than I remember form the past 2 years. I have never frozen before but I also have had 3 cigars with indicators in the past 2 months. From now on I am a confirmed freezer

That's what I'm talking about Evan, and what worries me. What happened in transit and the warehouse before they got to me.

I haven't gone back and frozen old stock, but I'm with you, all new items coming in get the freezer. Better safe than sorry.

 

[EvanS]

EvanS, you mentioned hearing about beetles more recently. I'm not on that many boards...any idea if you are hearing about it more in terms of Cuban or NC tobacco?

truth is I have not heard anything "specific" about beetles in Cubans, all references have been concerning NC's

edit:::: just read about a box of Bolivars that came in with beetles...so ignore what I said earlier.